Hey, hey, wonderful readers, I know you're all busy with E3 and stuff, but quick notif to tell you that chapters 4 through 11 have been recorded and uploaded (linkies are in the first post along with the chapters). Enjoy laughing at my silly voice like you all do :3

Ohey, is been too long. Adjusting to working two jobs, as well as doing all the "Mom jobs" at home while Mum's been at the Hospital like... every day all day. Fuuuuuun times :/

Spoiler:Chapter 25 - Kuan'ya

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.I was invited to stay in the village long enough to get my bearings and much-needed supplies. It seemed like everyone in the village was eager to help. Visitors weren’t exactly common, and even more unusual was someone on this “Pilgrimage of the White Dragon” I kept hearing about. The more I heard about it, the more it seemed like a folk religion than something well… real. Their belief, as I had come to understand, was that this White Dragon had come several hundred years ago and raised the land out of the ocean. From there, it had apparently watched over the land as it grew, and nurtured its children as they appeared. At some point, the Dragon had decided that its work was done, and settled itself somewhere secret to rest. The Dragon itself hadn’t actually been seen in the past three hundred years, or so their legends say, but each and every villager here attested to the fact that they could feel its presence here, and that it would always help its children in their time of need.

The pilgrimage itself seemed less believable to me than the legends. To them, the Pilgrimage was only to be undertaken by the Dragon’s Chosen. How they knew who was “chosen” and who wasn’t was beyond me. Said “chosen” were led by some “divine force” to where the Dragon lived, so they could repay everything it had given to them. For them to think I was going on this Pilgrimage was nearly laughable (though I wasn’t about to let on to that, not while I could stay here without someone wanting my head in a noose). For one thing, it was logic leading me to the far north, not some unknown force, and another, no clan in their right mind would let an outsider into their religion. There had been that explosion when I was fleeing the Academy… but I was a Rogue right? Rogues had that sort of power, but I had never been trained those skills. It didn’t feel normal, but then again, neither did their Shaman. For as many rules and laws the High King imposed on Kataya, there was no power that could alter a Clan’s Religion.

While I was allowed to stay in the village, I was still an outlander. Each clan dealt with visitors a little differently. Here, I wasn’t allowed indoors (inside any of their tents) unless I was personally invited, and I’d have to work for literally everything, meals and supplies. It wasn’t hard work by any means, mostly odd jobs, and any Ranger Work that popped up. As I’d expected, the majority of Field Rangers had been pulled to the East Coast, so now most everywhere was left shorthanded. As it happened, the Shaman was certified as a Ranger, but she usually had something more important going on.

As it happened, I had nearly massed everything I thought I needed. As much food as I felt would be easy to carry and wouldn’t spoil, coupled a tarp and a bedroll, were packed and ready to go. All else I could think of would be some sort of weapon for defense (as I couldn’t rely on whatever triggered against Penebrae to protect me at every turn) and other basic tools. What I could actually carry would obviously be a limitation to what I could get, but you never could know what would be useful, and what would just be extra weight. Just a few more days, and I should be ready to continue on.

“Outlander!” One of the Clansmen came running up to me out of the brush. His skin was painted just as brightly as his clothing, signifying he was one of the Villages hunters. “Trouble!”

“What happened?” I said, abandoning the tarp I had been rolling and snatching up my staff, suddenly more alert than I had been in days.

He did not waste time elaborating but turned to run back towards the plains. As we got further away from the village, I began to notice the tell-tale signs of a large beast. The grass, dry and brittle as it had been when I’d come in was crushed in what I could only picture as something I wouldn’t want to meet crashing through in some terrible rage or panic. At that point, I didn’t really need to follow my guide to know where exactly to go; good thing too, as his pace was far too fast for me to keep up. Running wasn’t what I’d call easy trying to avoid the rodent holes and rocks, and I hadn’t had the brains to bring Rodromus with me. Somehow, I didn’t like the idea of putting him at risk when I knew I could handle myself as a Ranger.

Before whatever Pokemon was causing problems came into view, my guide caught up with the rest of the warriors, all brandishing spears and machetes. He gestured back to me, and the men made a gap in their defenses to let me in. I had never seen a Pokemon like it before. It was large, at least as tall as I am, and very bulky. From what I could tell, its hide was somewhere between scales and sand, with two sets of shiny black eyes peeking out from behind a set of large tusks that could have easily gored any of the warriors with a shake of its head. Whatever had it acting like this needed to be turned around, before someone got hurt!

Spoiler:Chapter 25 - Kuan'ya

I was invited to stay in the village long enough to get my bearings and much-needed supplies. It seemed like everyone in the village was eager to help. Visitors weren’t exactly common, and even more unusual was someone on this “Pilgrimage of the White Dragon” I kept hearing about. The more I heard about it, the more it seemed like a folk religion than something well… real. Their belief, as I had come to understand, was that this White Dragon had come several hundred years ago and raised the land out of the ocean. From there, it had apparently watched over the land as it grew, and nurtured its children as they appeared. At some point, the Dragon had decided that its work was done, and settled itself somewhere secret to rest. The Dragon itself hadn’t actually been seen in the past three hundred years, or so their legends say, but each and every villager here attested to the fact that they could feel its presence here, and that it would always help its children in their time of need.

The pilgrimage itself seemed less believable to me than the legends. To them, the Pilgrimage was only to be undertaken by the Dragon’s Chosen. How they knew who was “chosen” and who wasn’t was beyond me. Said “chosen” were led by some “divine force” to where the Dragon lived, so they could repay everything it had given to them. For them to think I was going on this Pilgrimage was nearly laughable (though I wasn’t about to let on to that, not while I could stay here without someone wanting my head in a noose). For one thing, it was logic leading me to the far north, not some unknown force, and another, no clan in their right mind would let an outsider into their religion. There had been that explosion when I was fleeing the Academy… but I was a Rogue right? Rogues had that sort of power, but I had never been trained those skills. It didn’t feel normal, but then again, neither did their Shaman. For as many rules and laws the High King imposed on Kataya, there was no power that could alter a Clan’s Religion.

While I was allowed to stay in the village, I was still an outlander. Each clan dealt with visitors a little differently. Here, I wasn’t allowed indoors (inside any of their tents) unless I was personally invited, and I’d have to work for literally everything, meals and supplies. It wasn’t hard work by any means, mostly odd jobs, and any Ranger Work that popped up. As I’d expected, the majority of Field Rangers had been pulled to the East Coast, so now most everywhere was left shorthanded. As it happened, the Shaman was certified as a Ranger, but she usually had something more important going on.

As it happened, I had nearly massed everything I thought I needed. As much food as I felt would be easy to carry and wouldn’t spoil, coupled a tarp and a bedroll, were packed and ready to go. All else I could think of would be some sort of weapon for defense (as I couldn’t rely on whatever triggered against Penebrae to protect me at every turn) and other basic tools. What I could actually carry would obviously be a limitation to what I could get, but you never could know what would be useful, and what would just be extra weight. Just a few more days, and I should be ready to continue on.

“Outlander!” One of the Clansmen came running up to me out of the brush. His skin was painted just as brightly as his clothing, signifying he was one of the Villages hunters. “Trouble!”

“What happened?” I said, abandoning the tarp I had been rolling and snatching up my staff, suddenly more alert than I had been in days.

He did not waste time elaborating but turned to run back towards the plains. As we got further away from the village, I began to notice the tell-tale signs of a large beast. The grass, dry and brittle as it had been when I’d come in was crushed in what I could only picture as something I wouldn’t want to meet crashing through in some terrible rage or panic. At that point, I didn’t really need to follow my guide to know where exactly to go; good thing too, as his pace was far too fast for me to keep up. Running wasn’t what I’d call easy trying to avoid the rodent holes and rocks, and I hadn’t had the brains to bring Rodromus with me. Somehow, I didn’t like the idea of putting him at risk when I knew I could handle myself as a Ranger.

Before whatever Pokemon was causing problems came into view, my guide caught up with the rest of the warriors, all brandishing spears and machetes. He gestured back to me, and the men made a gap in their defenses to let me in. I had never seen a Pokemon like it before. It was large, at least as tall as I am, and very bulky. From what I could tell, its hide was somewhere between scales and sand, with two sets of shiny black eyes peeking out from behind a set of large tusks that could have easily gored any of the warriors with a shake of its head. Whatever had it acting like this needed to be turned around, before someone got hurt!

I'm still alive I promise! Turns out there's a lot more work than I thought to prepare an Artist Alley table for a con, as well as adjusting to mum moving in with my Grandma. Hopefully the adjustment has been made, and I can get more regular with chapters. Also, you guys should definately check out the Pokefiction Grand Prix, I'll be judging over there, so you better show up ;D

Spoiler:Chapter 26 - The Rhyneclous

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.Its breath rose in a mist as I tried to get a good look at the beast. What was it that I had to remember if I was forced to actually fight a Pokemon? Several things could show how dangerous one could be, besides its size. This one’s legs were fairly short; that would mean it probably couldn’t run very fast, but each foot was equipped with three sharp looking claws that would probably be able to grip the ground very well. Those two tusks, as I’d noticed earlier, would be a danger for sure. It was also breathing hard. That meant it had either been running for a long time and had gotten tired, or was furious. For the sake of safety, I’d have to assume the more dangerous, enraged.

There was no more time to try to analyze the beast. The Clansmen around me, trained for this sort of hunt, had sprung into action. Splitting into three groups, they charged the beast, one group head-on, and the other two at its flanks. Spears began to fly, some finding their mark in the beast, but most burying into the dusty ground. It had begun to charge again, slowly at first, but picking up speed faster than I had thought possible. It was quite literally throwing itself across the ground, charging and preparing to flatten whatever was foolish enough to block its path. The first group, the ones who had planned on a head-on attack had no choice but to dive out of the way as it began to pick up speed. Sticks of wood, no matter how aerodynamic, could not stop anything like this. Within seconds, I realized I was forced to follow their example, diving out of its path as its claws dug up the earth in my wake.

Instead of continuing its charge and heading for the village as was our fear, it dug its front claws deep into the ground and let its body swing around to face us again. Clearly, my assumption had been right; no angry Pokemon would allow its prey to escape. Once more, it started up the charge, slow at first, but gaining terrifying speed. However, this time the Clansmen did not back down. They charged it in a sort of V-Formation, breaking away as it got closer, but allowing them closer range and better shots. This time, instead of hurling spears, each pulled swords and daggers from their belts, attempting to stick the blades through its hide. Many missed their mark as it picked up more speed, but where the iron and steel succeeded; both hide and flesh were torn away, leaving the ground around its footprints spotted with its blood.

I still had little knowledge to go on, aside from the beast’s rage with no clear explanation, but the longer this went on, the more likely it was someone was going to get hurt. Allowing my staff to light, I joined into their formation at the beasts next turn. I wasn’t stupid enough to try and calm it down, not now that it was so badly injured. If I managed to succeed (a difficult feat alone on a beast this size) the pain from its injuries would likely drive it back into rage. Few Pokémon in this Region would take a sword to the side without fighting back. Instead, I would try to drive it off. We met its charge again, the Clansmen both in front of and behind me driving their blades as deep as they could without being dragged along. Apparently, they didn’t care whether it was brought down or sent away. How they could keep up this charge was beyond me. After one run, I was already gasping for breath and feeling sweat begin to form on my forehead and neck.

Before we turned to run again, the beast stopped its charge to let loose a deafening squealing roar, nearly shaking the ground while most of us cowered, hiding our ears under our hands. The first to rise turned to the other Clansmen. I could only assume he was the leader, garbed in brighter clothes than the rest, and issuing what must be orders.

“Two Groups,” he roared to the men, “We finish this now!”

Hoisting their spears over their heads, they bellowed a battle cry to match the beast’s roar and charged forward. I meant to follow, but one of the men caught me around the middle, pushing me back and shaking his head. Thank goodness. I might have been able to run one or two more charges, but after that I really wouldn’t be good for anything. Getting myself to what I hoped would be the sidelines of this fight, I began to focus my energy again. Dangerous beast or not, I’d prefer to give it the chance to live.

That however, was a chance the Clansmen did not seem willing to take. No longer were they wasting time beating around its sides, but now were running in for a full frontal assault. The two in front, the leader and another man, both jumped forward, catching its horns while it was still getting into its run, and wrenched its head around. It responded in kind, throwing them both away, running forward in a now blind rage. They scattered instantly, as it swung its head back and forth, tusks coming dangerously close as the men darted under and around them. They stuck and stabbed it whenever they could.

I had to focus. They could only do their job as well as I could do mine. They’d always said keeping your focus out on the field would be difficult, but this I wasn’t expecting. Any second they could have their sides’ torn open, or land under one of its massive feet. No, you do not belong here. You do not belong here. That was too close! You do not belong here. It seemed they’d finally gotten through its armored skin as the swords now trailed streams of blood. Get out or you’ll die! Run! I could vaguely see the light of my own staff now, brighter and brighter as I tried to shut out the Clansmen. Their cries and calls were becoming ever more distant. You do not belong here. Even my vision was starting to slide away. There was nothing but me, my light, and the beast. You have to leave. It was crying out. I know they’re hurting you. You have to leave. They’ll stop if you leave. Please.

I was jolted out of the trance as one of the Clansmen tackled me to the ground. I hadn’t noticed them getting closer, and a split second later the flash of ivory tusks swung over our heads. Its feet could only have landed inches away from where I had been, had it really just tried to kill me? Several of the other Clansmen converged on the beast, getting their swords in around its tusks and face. With another swing of its mighty head, I saw no farther than two feet away from my face what human entrails really are. With its tusk imbedded in that man’s side the others wasted no time in their attack, jumping forward with a fury no commander could have planned. Still under the protective arm of one of the men, under the body of the great beast, there was nothing I could do, though any healing I might have known would probably be useless at this point. I’d never seen a wound bleed like that before, or was that the blood of the beast. The stench was everywhere, blood, dust, and death.

Spoiler:Chapter 26 - The Rhyneclous

Its breath rose in a mist as I tried to get a good look at the beast. What was it that I had to remember if I was forced to actually fight a Pokemon? Several things could show how dangerous one could be, besides its size. This one’s legs were fairly short; that would mean it probably couldn’t run very fast, but each foot was equipped with three sharp looking claws that would probably be able to grip the ground very well. Those two tusks, as I’d noticed earlier, would be a danger for sure. It was also breathing hard. That meant it had either been running for a long time and had gotten tired, or was furious. For the sake of safety, I’d have to assume the more dangerous, enraged.

There was no more time to try to analyze the beast. The Clansmen around me, trained for this sort of hunt, had sprung into action. Splitting into three groups, they charged the beast, one group head-on, and the other two at its flanks. Spears began to fly, some finding their mark in the beast, but most burying into the dusty ground. It had begun to charge again, slowly at first, but picking up speed faster than I had thought possible. It was quite literally throwing itself across the ground, charging and preparing to flatten whatever was foolish enough to block its path. The first group, the ones who had planned on a head-on attack had no choice but to dive out of the way as it began to pick up speed. Sticks of wood, no matter how aerodynamic, could not stop anything like this. Within seconds, I realized I was forced to follow their example, diving out of its path as its claws dug up the earth in my wake.

Instead of continuing its charge and heading for the village as was our fear, it dug its front claws deep into the ground and let its body swing around to face us again. Clearly, my assumption had been right; no angry Pokemon would allow its prey to escape. Once more, it started up the charge, slow at first, but gaining terrifying speed. However, this time the Clansmen did not back down. They charged it in a sort of V-Formation, breaking away as it got closer, but allowing them closer range and better shots. This time, instead of hurling spears, each pulled swords and daggers from their belts, attempting to stick the blades through its hide. Many missed their mark as it picked up more speed, but where the iron and steel succeeded; both hide and flesh were torn away, leaving the ground around its footprints spotted with its blood.

I still had little knowledge to go on, aside from the beast’s rage with no clear explanation, but the longer this went on, the more likely it was someone was going to get hurt. Allowing my staff to light, I joined into their formation at the beasts next turn. I wasn’t stupid enough to try and calm it down, not now that it was so badly injured. If I managed to succeed (a difficult feat alone on a beast this size) the pain from its injuries would likely drive it back into rage. Few Pokémon in this Region would take a sword to the side without fighting back. Instead, I would try to drive it off. We met its charge again, the Clansmen both in front of and behind me driving their blades as deep as they could without being dragged along. Apparently, they didn’t care whether it was brought down or sent away. How they could keep up this charge was beyond me. After one run, I was already gasping for breath and feeling sweat begin to form on my forehead and neck.

Before we turned to run again, the beast stopped its charge to let loose a deafening squealing roar, nearly shaking the ground while most of us cowered, hiding our ears under our hands. The first to rise turned to the other Clansmen. I could only assume he was the leader, garbed in brighter clothes than the rest, and issuing what must be orders.

“Two Groups,” he roared to the men, “We finish this now!”

Hoisting their spears over their heads, they bellowed a battle cry to match the beast’s roar and charged forward. I meant to follow, but one of the men caught me around the middle, pushing me back and shaking his head. Thank goodness. I might have been able to run one or two more charges, but after that I really wouldn’t be good for anything. Getting myself to what I hoped would be the sidelines of this fight, I began to focus my energy again. Dangerous beast or not, I’d prefer to give it the chance to live.

That however, was a chance the Clansmen did not seem willing to take. No longer were they wasting time beating around its sides, but now were running in for a full frontal assault. The two in front, the leader and another man, both jumped forward, catching its horns while it was still getting into its run, and wrenched its head around. It responded in kind, throwing them both away, running forward in a now blind rage. They scattered instantly, as it swung its head back and forth, tusks coming dangerously close as the men darted under and around them. They stuck and stabbed it whenever they could.

I had to focus. They could only do their job as well as I could do mine. They’d always said keeping your focus out on the field would be difficult, but this I wasn’t expecting. Any second they could have their sides’ torn open, or land under one of its massive feet. No, you do not belong here. You do not belong here. That was too close! You do not belong here. It seemed they’d finally gotten through its armored skin as the swords now trailed streams of blood. Get out or you’ll die! Run! I could vaguely see the light of my own staff now, brighter and brighter as I tried to shut out the Clansmen. Their cries and calls were becoming ever more distant. You do not belong here. Even my vision was starting to slide away. There was nothing but me, my light, and the beast. You have to leave. It was crying out. I know they’re hurting you. You have to leave. They’ll stop if you leave. Please.

I was jolted out of the trance as one of the Clansmen tackled me to the ground. I hadn’t noticed them getting closer, and a split second later the flash of ivory tusks swung over our heads. Its feet could only have landed inches away from where I had been, had it really just tried to kill me? Several of the other Clansmen converged on the beast, getting their swords in around its tusks and face. With another swing of its mighty head, I saw no farther than two feet away from my face what human entrails really are. With its tusk imbedded in that man’s side the others wasted no time in their attack, jumping forward with a fury no commander could have planned. Still under the protective arm of one of the men, under the body of the great beast, there was nothing I could do, though any healing I might have known would probably be useless at this point. I’d never seen a wound bleed like that before, or was that the blood of the beast. The stench was everywhere, blood, dust, and death.

So I was watching one of my friends play Skrim.... and as I don't really play with console commands... learned that "tgm" activates "God Mode"... Welcome to Manifest Destiny God Mode everyone!

Spoiler:Chapter 27 - A Desert Fury

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.My breath caught in my throat. I couldn’t move, even if one of the Clansmen wasn’t holding me against the ground, trying to protect me from the beast’s pounding feet. Dust, kicked up from the rampage hung thick in the air, and it was all I could to do keep breathing, still trying to take in everything that had just happened. This beast, this Pokémon, I’d never seen its equal., nor heard anything about it at the Academy. Hadn’t it been their job to teach us about the Pokémon in this world who were most dangerous, so we could repel them? Was it rare enough to have escaped notice, or did they not think it dangerous enough to include in the lessons? Whatever the reason, this had to end. One of the Clansmen was already dead, that much was obvious. There was blood everywhere, staining the ground and running down the beast’s tusks and hide. In truth, I didn’t know whose blood I was lying in, trying to pretend that I was somewhere… anywhere else. The work of a Ranger was supposed to be peaceful, emotions and compassion, not blood and blades.

The Clansman trying to keep my safe pushed me deeper into the ground as the beast above us shook its mighty head back and forth, sending the body flying out of my extremely limited vision before charging the men again. For a moment there was no sight, no air, and no movement. Paralyzing fear of the weight of its charge, combined with the new layer of dust thicker than any fog took everything away. I had no idea how close it was, or where it was at all. Was it moving, running or standing still? Was it goring more of my comrades? I didn’t want to face it, but what were the chances that the rest were still alive? Unfortunately, I was forced to face it. My guardian was pulling me off the ground, forcing me back into the sun and air, and the battle.

“Protect yourself, Ranger.” The air in his voice could not be mistaken. For as much of a burden as I was in a situation like this, to him, I was still a Ranger. I could (in theory) command the hearts of the Pokémon where as he could only command the blade. There was a significant difference between us, and that difference came with costs, not to me, but for everyone else who tried to protect the defenders of the clans. Rangers were valued; a Master’s skill would reach legend far before a Swordsmaster. None of it felt right, but I nodded, and followed him to the fray.

I hadn’t set my expectations high, but they weren’t failing me. The men were still fighting, but just as I had long ago, they were starting to get tired. I couldn’t tell what they were trying to do, but I could tell it wasn’t working. Their movements didn’t seem as coordinated as before. It looked like they were almost trying to keep their distance as much as possible rather than their first few attacks. One was caught by the blunt of one of the beast’s tusks, and was knocked back, clutching his gut. Another wasn’t so lucky, and was caught by the point, spearing him through the stomach, much like the first.

My first reaction, as it should be in any person with any sense of self-preservation was to run to somewhere where I could be safe and dry. I’d nearly turned to do just that, nearly fled the field to continue my manic to journey to who knows where. There was only one thing that stopped me, one thing that dripped warm and stick from my bangs onto my nose. One single drop of blood, it could have come from anyone, was now resting on my lips, smeared against my teeth. There was a definite taste there, almost metallic, that sent my blood boiling. This had to stop, the slaughter of both sides. There was a tide of energy ready to bend to my will, its power already coursing through my body, similar to my flight from the Academy, except there were no wild emotions this time. Blind panic would never have a tether, but this was fuel, stronger and more potent than anything I’d felt before. One step at a time – I had to stay in control – I advanced, staff out at my side already making the connection. Another step, and the beast swung its head around, turning on the spot to face me, now impervious to the efforts of the Clansmen. One more, and the dry ground split apart, fissures opening all around the plains. Once again, I entered a state where there was no dusty broken ground, no darkening sky, just me and the beast; only this time I was prepared. Here we were evenly matched. It could charge, I could parry, and the cycle would run again. There was no contest of strength or stamina, just spirit and will, both with no beginning and no end. In here, two opponents equally matched could fight until the end of time and beyond.

Here, fueled with an inhumane energy, I was not only able to stand my ground, sidestepping its charges, and using my staff to guide its horns, turning it in circles around me. Again and again I continued to act as defensively as I could, but feeling the heat rising. Each cycle, my focus would waiver, the wall holding back what I can only describe as bloodlust, would falter. Here and there, cracks would form; I lashed out, jabbing at it with the back end of my staff, or trying to lead it into the ground. One jab, with a particularly heated swing caught it in the face, and another laded in its socket, probably leaving it blinded. Streaks of red flashed across my vision, evidently it wasn’t the only one taking hits. Once more, the cycle ran again, it charged and I parried… or started to parry. Soon there would be no barrier between myself and the rage I was holding back; rage and grief and fear all rolled into a frenzy. Letting it go that far would be reckless, dangerous and plain stupid. If I couldn’t convince it to leave now, there would be no choice left how to deal with it.

Changing my plan, I started trying one final time to communicate with the beast, urging more than ever that now was its last chance. After this, there was no other choice. Please, this is your last chance. Somewhere though, part of me knew that there really wasn’t any chance left. No, there was no chance at all. With a snort and squeal, it charged forward one more time, and like trying to hold back the sea with a stick, the frenzy broke free, engulfing everything. All I could do now was blindly trust my body, as if I had a choice. Distortion twisted everything as I seemingly moved without command, striking relentlessly, finally avenging the Clansmen whose names I would probably never know and whose blood stained my skin.

Aches and pain gripped my body as the connection was broken, that vast field of energy not completely gone. I started looking up, to tell them everything would be all right now; that we wouldn’t be bothered anymore and we could head home. Instead, I caught a glimpse of the majority of the Clansmen staring at me, looking as if I’d just grown an extra head. Then the rest of the plains came into view, or at least, what had been the plains. The ground was riddled with cracks and holes. Large chunks had risen or fell, forming cliffs and hills higher than I’d thought existed in a place like this. In the settling dust near the center of where I assume I had been fighting the beast, lay its body, cut apart where the blades had pierced its skin, and missing one shining, dead, black eye.

One of the Clansmen, I think the one who’d tried to shield me, backed away, and with a similar look of horror on his face, uttered, “What are you?”

Spoiler:Chapter 27 - A Desert Fury

My breath caught in my throat. I couldn’t move, even if one of the Clansmen wasn’t holding me against the ground, trying to protect me from the beast’s pounding feet. Dust, kicked up from the rampage hung thick in the air, and it was all I could to do keep breathing, still trying to take in everything that had just happened. This beast, this Pokémon, I’d never seen its equal., nor heard anything about it at the Academy. Hadn’t it been their job to teach us about the Pokémon in this world who were most dangerous, so we could repel them? Was it rare enough to have escaped notice, or did they not think it dangerous enough to include in the lessons? Whatever the reason, this had to end. One of the Clansmen was already dead, that much was obvious. There was blood everywhere, staining the ground and running down the beast’s tusks and hide. In truth, I didn’t know whose blood I was lying in, trying to pretend that I was somewhere… anywhere else. The work of a Ranger was supposed to be peaceful, emotions and compassion, not blood and blades.

The Clansman trying to keep my safe pushed me deeper into the ground as the beast above us shook its mighty head back and forth, sending the body flying out of my extremely limited vision before charging the men again. For a moment there was no sight, no air, and no movement. Paralyzing fear of the weight of its charge, combined with the new layer of dust thicker than any fog took everything away. I had no idea how close it was, or where it was at all. Was it moving, running or standing still? Was it goring more of my comrades? I didn’t want to face it, but what were the chances that the rest were still alive? Unfortunately, I was forced to face it. My guardian was pulling me off the ground, forcing me back into the sun and air, and the battle.

“Protect yourself, Ranger.” The air in his voice could not be mistaken. For as much of a burden as I was in a situation like this, to him, I was still a Ranger. I could (in theory) command the hearts of the Pokémon where as he could only command the blade. There was a significant difference between us, and that difference came with costs, not to me, but for everyone else who tried to protect the defenders of the clans. Rangers were valued; a Master’s skill would reach legend far before a Swordsmaster. None of it felt right, but I nodded, and followed him to the fray.

I hadn’t set my expectations high, but they weren’t failing me. The men were still fighting, but just as I had long ago, they were starting to get tired. I couldn’t tell what they were trying to do, but I could tell it wasn’t working. Their movements didn’t seem as coordinated as before. It looked like they were almost trying to keep their distance as much as possible rather than their first few attacks. One was caught by the blunt of one of the beast’s tusks, and was knocked back, clutching his gut. Another wasn’t so lucky, and was caught by the point, spearing him through the stomach, much like the first.

My first reaction, as it should be in any person with any sense of self-preservation was to run to somewhere where I could be safe and dry. I’d nearly turned to do just that, nearly fled the field to continue my manic to journey to who knows where. There was only one thing that stopped me, one thing that dripped warm and stick from my bangs onto my nose. One single drop of blood, it could have come from anyone, was now resting on my lips, smeared against my teeth. There was a definite taste there, almost metallic, that sent my blood boiling. This had to stop, the slaughter of both sides. There was a tide of energy ready to bend to my will, its power already coursing through my body, similar to my flight from the Academy, except there were no wild emotions this time. Blind panic would never have a tether, but this was fuel, stronger and more potent than anything I’d felt before. One step at a time – I had to stay in control – I advanced, staff out at my side already making the connection. Another step, and the beast swung its head around, turning on the spot to face me, now impervious to the efforts of the Clansmen. One more, and the dry ground split apart, fissures opening all around the plains. Once again, I entered a state where there was no dusty broken ground, no darkening sky, just me and the beast; only this time I was prepared. Here we were evenly matched. It could charge, I could parry, and the cycle would run again. There was no contest of strength or stamina, just spirit and will, both with no beginning and no end. In here, two opponents equally matched could fight until the end of time and beyond.

Here, fueled with an inhumane energy, I was not only able to stand my ground, sidestepping its charges, and using my staff to guide its horns, turning it in circles around me. Again and again I continued to act as defensively as I could, but feeling the heat rising. Each cycle, my focus would waiver, the wall holding back what I can only describe as bloodlust, would falter. Here and there, cracks would form; I lashed out, jabbing at it with the back end of my staff, or trying to lead it into the ground. One jab, with a particularly heated swing caught it in the face, and another laded in its socket, probably leaving it blinded. Streaks of red flashed across my vision, evidently it wasn’t the only one taking hits. Once more, the cycle ran again, it charged and I parried… or started to parry. Soon there would be no barrier between myself and the rage I was holding back; rage and grief and fear all rolled into a frenzy. Letting it go that far would be reckless, dangerous and plain stupid. If I couldn’t convince it to leave now, there would be no choice left how to deal with it.

Changing my plan, I started trying one final time to communicate with the beast, urging more than ever that now was its last chance. After this, there was no other choice. Please, this is your last chance. Somewhere though, part of me knew that there really wasn’t any chance left. No, there was no chance at all. With a snort and squeal, it charged forward one more time, and like trying to hold back the sea with a stick, the frenzy broke free, engulfing everything. All I could do now was blindly trust my body, as if I had a choice. Distortion twisted everything as I seemingly moved without command, striking relentlessly, finally avenging the Clansmen whose names I would probably never know and whose blood stained my skin.

Aches and pain gripped my body as the connection was broken, that vast field of energy not completely gone. I started looking up, to tell them everything would be all right now; that we wouldn’t be bothered anymore and we could head home. Instead, I caught a glimpse of the majority of the Clansmen staring at me, looking as if I’d just grown an extra head. Then the rest of the plains came into view, or at least, what had been the plains. The ground was riddled with cracks and holes. Large chunks had risen or fell, forming cliffs and hills higher than I’d thought existed in a place like this. In the settling dust near the center of where I assume I had been fighting the beast, lay its body, cut apart where the blades had pierced its skin, and missing one shining, dead, black eye.

One of the Clansmen, I think the one who’d tried to shield me, backed away, and with a similar look of horror on his face, uttered, “What are you?”

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.“It seems that we have ourselves a problem.”

I was sitting on the floor of the first and only “building” I’d ever entered in this village; only this time the air felt very different. On the way back from the battlefield, the Clansmen and I had washed as much blood from our skin and clothes as we could, or rather they washed off and I sort of sat in the water. One of them must have noticed I wasn't doing much of anything because somehow I got out of the oasis clean. At some point, they must have bound my hands, as I sat before the Chief with rope holding my wrists together. Most of the trip back felt surreal. Part of me kept expecting another one of those monsters to come charging out of the brush, or a hoard of the King’s Soldiers to materialize and announce that I was to be hung on the spot. In a way, I was sort of right. After one of the Clansmen had recounted the story of our hunt to the Chief, she simply stood and told the man to wait outside the hut. She did not remove the rope.

“Please,” I started, looking up at her, “I don’t know what I did or how I did it, I just-“ “Lost control,” she finished. “I’m quite aware of that already, and it poses some … complications.” “Complications? What do you mean? What’s going –“ “Stop, just stop and listen.” She all but fell back into her seat, rubbing her temples. “Complications being you are recognized as an agent of the White Dragon, do not argue, and you have shown yourself as a dangerous Rogue. We live under the rule of the King, and yet I have seemingly welcomed a Rogue into my Clan with open arms. These people have been taught to hate and fear Rogues their entire lives, and there’s nothing I can do about that. I cannot just let you go, or there will be trouble for the entire clan. Do you understand Mahin?” I nodded, trying to grasp the situation I’d gotten myself into. Strangely enough, it was this captivity and ultimately this path to destruction that I had tried to escape by fleeing the academy. At least there I would only have been ‘branded’ as a Rogue, with no proof to the statement, whereas here the evidence was hard to ignore. “I also do not want to see you dead.” I looked up, absolutely dumbfounded. Here sat this woman, Chief of a Clan who reported directly to the High King, telling me that she wanted a Rogue to live? Would I actually be able to walk away from this? “At this point, we have two options, and I am going to let you choose.” “Me?” “It is your life after all.” I nodded, and she continued, “You could take your chances with the King’s guards. They will be arriving in the next few days to take you into the Central Kingdom to be hung.” “What’s my other option?” A devious smile started to curl her lips, “You and I would set up a little scene.”

Spoiler:Chapter 28 - Complications

“It seems that we have ourselves a problem.”

I was sitting on the floor of the first and only “building” I’d ever entered in this village; only this time the air felt very different. On the way back from the battlefield, the Clansmen and I had washed as much blood from our skin and clothes as we could, or rather they washed off and I sort of sat in the water. One of them must have noticed I wasn't doing much of anything because somehow I got out of the oasis clean. At some point, they must have bound my hands, as I sat before the Chief with rope holding my wrists together. Most of the trip back felt surreal. Part of me kept expecting another one of those monsters to come charging out of the brush, or a hoard of the King’s Soldiers to materialize and announce that I was to be hung on the spot. In a way, I was sort of right. After one of the Clansmen had recounted the story of our hunt to the Chief, she simply stood and told the man to wait outside the hut. She did not remove the rope.

“Please,” I started, looking up at her, “I don’t know what I did or how I did it, I just-“ “Lost control,” she finished. “I’m quite aware of that already, and it poses some … complications.” “Complications? What do you mean? What’s going –“ “Stop, just stop and listen.” She all but fell back into her seat, rubbing her temples. “Complications being you are recognized as an agent of the White Dragon, do not argue, and you have shown yourself as a dangerous Rogue. We live under the rule of the King, and yet I have seemingly welcomed a Rogue into my Clan with open arms. These people have been taught to hate and fear Rogues their entire lives, and there’s nothing I can do about that. I cannot just let you go, or there will be trouble for the entire clan. Do you understand Mahin?” I nodded, trying to grasp the situation I’d gotten myself into. Strangely enough, it was this captivity and ultimately this path to destruction that I had tried to escape by fleeing the academy. At least there I would only have been ‘branded’ as a Rogue, with no proof to the statement, whereas here the evidence was hard to ignore. “I also do not want to see you dead.” I looked up, absolutely dumbfounded. Here sat this woman, Chief of a Clan who reported directly to the High King, telling me that she wanted a Rogue to live? Would I actually be able to walk away from this? “At this point, we have two options, and I am going to let you choose.” “Me?” “It is your life after all.” I nodded, and she continued, “You could take your chances with the King’s guards. They will be arriving in the next few days to take you into the Central Kingdom to be hung.” “What’s my other option?” A devious smile started to curl her lips, “You and I would set up a little scene.”

totally almost posted my chapter to the Grand Prix by mistake... it's been a long week. It's also a long chapter, but is sooooo worth it ;D Also random Mahin arts because I need to learn how to use my teeny tablet xD

Spoiler:Chapter 29 - Escape

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.Night had fallen hours ago, but I hadn't gotten a single second of sleep. Ever since we’d made our plan, I felt like I was trying to walk down a branch that was just too little to hold my weight. Every fiber of my being was on edge, waiting to hear the first crack; the first sign that things were going bad. I had made a choice, but it wasn't just a choice between life or the noose. Choosing life had a cost. If I was going to be killed for being a Rogue, I would have to act like one to escape. No, it wouldn't be an act, it would be the real deed; using my staff for a power that was ingrained as not only illegal, but forbidden and dangerous. In all honestly I wasn't sure if I was even capable of this. I had only used what I assumed to be a Rogue’s Power twice in my life, both within the past few weeks, and neither felt like it had been my own doing. Although the possibility of convincing anyone that I was not a Rogue at this point was basically nonexistent, I hadn't quite let go. Rogues were dangerous; they were criminals, with no regard for Human or Pokémon life, as well as the laws of the Region. It just wasn't me, but could it? If it meant staying alive, how much would I be willing to throw away? No, I’d decided a long time ago that remorse and self-preservation couldn't coexist, and my choice had fallen with self-preservation.

Though I had been expecting it, the rustle of cloth as the Priestess returned to the hut nearly sent me through the ceiling. She had left some time ago to make sure the village was safe, and to make sure everything was set to go when I made my move, and now that she was back I could begin. I had already given my word that I would try, whether or not I actually had the ability to pull this off. She had talked me through how to do everything I would have to do earlier in the afternoon, but most everything earlier than this moment was all but swallowed whole by nerves and moral monsters. I was supposed to reach out to use my staff (which conveniently enough was not in the hut, which explained a good chunk of my worries over this plan) to free myself. The Priestess would make a show of stopping me, and I would make a show of attacking her, seemingly desperate for my freedom. When she fell, I would flee, retrieve my staff, mount my Rodromus, and make for the Far North, as per my original plan. It was in theory, a good plan. There were only really two drawbacks I could see were that regardless of the execution, I would draw attention to myself by “attacking” a Clan Leader; as well as the undeniable fact that I had no knowledge of how to pull this off.

The Priestess had removed an outer coat of what I could only guess were black feathers, and settled herself into a cushion. To anyone else, it might look like she was settling in for a night’s sleep, but I knew better, and so did she. She was watching me, those green eyes that I’d been assured didn't exist, nearly glowing in the dark of night.

“Are you all right?” I could not get used to that double voice of hers, echoing on itself. In the dark and dead of night, saying I was startled would have been a gross understatement.

“I just- I can’t – I-“ the words just wouldn't come out. The cold chill of panic was starting to set in. It wasn't that I wouldn't comply with the plan, it was that I couldn't. It had taken years to train to use my staff, but this was something completely different. I was essentially thrown in with the Rykuna (an especially aggressive and carnivorous sea-beast) with no idea how to swim.

“Relax.”

It wasn't the word that surprised me, but the voice behind it. Not only did I know this voice and know the speaker, but she had said that very same word to me before, practically face to face. Had she been watching me the entire time? Was she actually here in the tent? There was a sense of power in the air, but I’d assumed that was coming from the Shaman. It was a bit of a stretch to believe that the two were one in the same, they just looked too different. On one hand there was the woman with the golden hair, fair skin, the grace of a dragon and the love of a mother and of a queen. On the other hand there was the shaman, who for all her grace and poise had a devious spark to her eyes and a fey smile curling her lips. It was that same smile that crossed her face as she watched me struggle with the voice in my head, obviously knowing who it was who was speaking to me.

“Relax. You know what to do; close your eyes and find your staff.”

Just like my waking back in the Academy, I obeyed without question, her voice leading me on where I was more than willing to follow. Closing my eyes to her command, I started trying to search. It was like trying to find a stray button that’d rolled under a bed, only I couldn't use my arms. I had learned to use “Ranger-Sight” back at the Academy, a method to detect life of both Humans and Pokemon; but never had I even tried to detect something inanimate. Detecting the Shaman was easy (and gave me another reason to think that she was something more than a human), and even though they were farther away, I could tell exactly where not only the inhabitants of the village were, but also the Pokemon of the night, flying through the air and scurrying underground. In a sense, it was humbling, to feel so connected to literally everyone. When you could only see life, nothing more, we all looked exactly the same; we all were exactly the same.

For all my observations, I still couldn't see my staff. Deeper, I’d just have to look closer. While staffs weren't alive, I’d heard them described as “pathways”. I’d never had the need to look for pathways; any work I’d ever done I’d always had my staff for. Anything I could find I tried pushing against, just to see if it would budge. In this state, there was life, and there was the void; any objects that were found were lost almost immediately. It was like trying to see birdsong.

It was like trying to see birdsong! I was using the wrong senses to try to find something that should have been more than obvious. Opening my other senses to this different side of reality, the world became an entirely different place. Everything was apparent, the vibrations in the air, the flow of what little water ran underground, but most importantly the only objects that lacked the iridescence of this other-sight. There was no doubt; they were Ranger Staffs, as well as the rare natural gemstone hidden in the earth. There was one that just felt more familiar than the others, so I made my choice and began to push.

The effect was immediate and nearly overwhelming, but I wasn't afraid anymore. All sense of self-doubt and resignation were gone – seemingly left behind in the place where I could only see life. The connection was just as strong as if I’d been holding the staff in my hand, if not more so, as I would never be able to take it for granted again. I needed to be free, that was the next step, and I had to get free. Almost as if the energies about me heard my thoughts (maybe they had, stranger things had happened) they presented themselves before me like strands of light hanging in front of my vision, glowing brighter than the sparks of life around the village. They wove themselves together at my command, and fast like an arrow loosed from a bow, shot to my staff and back, not just tearing the ropes binding my hands, but shattering them as if they were made of brittle glass.

Shocked back to reality, my eyes flicked open as I drew myself off the floor. The Shaman gave me a flash of a grin before getting to her feet, staff pointed at my face, and a wonderfully theatrical, determined look on her face.

“Don’t make me do this.” She said, starting to light the end of her staff, while drawing a dagger with her free hand, “just sit back down.”

“You can’t stop me.”

An eruption of smoke and light filled the hut as a loud bang emanated from one of our staffs. This was my cue to run; take Rodromus and get far away from this village, but in that moment I couldn't be sure whether it had come from her, or from me. I inched forward, afraid for what I would see. Was she okay? Was she about to double-cross me, and capture me again? Neither thought proved to be true, but the sight was nearly worse than any scheme. She was sprawled on her back, unconscious and apparently burned from the impact. Her staff, laying a few feet away was broken, shards of the gemstone littering the ground. Part of my wanted to stay, to make certain that this hadn't been my doing, but the sound of our confrontation had not been ignored. I could hear the village rousing themselves, and approaching the hut. If I was going to leave, it would have to be now.

Darting out of the hut before the smoke had fully cleared; I was able to basically leap across the path to the tent where my staff was being kept. How I was able to find it so quickly was beyond me. There seemed to be a bit of luck on my side after all, for the tent was not only unguarded, but also unoccupied. Whether it was planned or not, the lapse wouldn't last long. Grabbing my staff, I ran back to the path to find the majority of the village closing around the Shaman’s Hut. I didn't know whether they’d seen me, and frankly I didn't care, so long as I didn't have the lot of them chasing after me. I obviously couldn't whistle for Rodromus to come, but I had a better alternative. Similar to searching for my staff, I shot my mind out, calling for that wonderful, powerful beast of mine; calling for him to come to me. I wasn't disappointed, but I was more obtrusive than I had meant to be. As it happened, he was closer to the hut than I’d thought, and the sight of him suddenly getting up to run to my side had not been missed. Fortunately he was a faster runner than any man. We couldn't afford to slow down, not with the entire village so close on his heels. I was running, and in an instant wrapped my arms around his neck to pull myself onto his back mid-gallop. It hadn't been graceful (and my arms would probably be red raw by morning) but it did the job. We were free, at least for now, but keeping a low profile would be a lot harder than ever.

Spoiler:Chapter 29 - Escape

Night had fallen hours ago, but I hadn't gotten a single second of sleep. Ever since we’d made our plan, I felt like I was trying to walk down a branch that was just too little to hold my weight. Every fiber of my being was on edge, waiting to hear the first crack; the first sign that things were going bad. I had made a choice, but it wasn't just a choice between life or the noose. Choosing life had a cost. If I was going to be killed for being a Rogue, I would have to act like one to escape. No, it wouldn't be an act, it would be the real deed; using my staff for a power that was ingrained as not only illegal, but forbidden and dangerous. In all honestly I wasn't sure if I was even capable of this. I had only used what I assumed to be a Rogue’s Power twice in my life, both within the past few weeks, and neither felt like it had been my own doing. Although the possibility of convincing anyone that I was not a Rogue at this point was basically nonexistent, I hadn't quite let go. Rogues were dangerous; they were criminals, with no regard for Human or Pokémon life, as well as the laws of the Region. It just wasn't me, but could it? If it meant staying alive, how much would I be willing to throw away? No, I’d decided a long time ago that remorse and self-preservation couldn't coexist, and my choice had fallen with self-preservation.

Though I had been expecting it, the rustle of cloth as the Priestess returned to the hut nearly sent me through the ceiling. She had left some time ago to make sure the village was safe, and to make sure everything was set to go when I made my move, and now that she was back I could begin. I had already given my word that I would try, whether or not I actually had the ability to pull this off. She had talked me through how to do everything I would have to do earlier in the afternoon, but most everything earlier than this moment was all but swallowed whole by nerves and moral monsters. I was supposed to reach out to use my staff (which conveniently enough was not in the hut, which explained a good chunk of my worries over this plan) to free myself. The Priestess would make a show of stopping me, and I would make a show of attacking her, seemingly desperate for my freedom. When she fell, I would flee, retrieve my staff, mount my Rodromus, and make for the Far North, as per my original plan. It was in theory, a good plan. There were only really two drawbacks I could see were that regardless of the execution, I would draw attention to myself by “attacking” a Clan Leader; as well as the undeniable fact that I had no knowledge of how to pull this off.

The Priestess had removed an outer coat of what I could only guess were black feathers, and settled herself into a cushion. To anyone else, it might look like she was settling in for a night’s sleep, but I knew better, and so did she. She was watching me, those green eyes that I’d been assured didn't exist, nearly glowing in the dark of night.

“Are you all right?” I could not get used to that double voice of hers, echoing on itself. In the dark and dead of night, saying I was startled would have been a gross understatement.

“I just- I can’t – I-“ the words just wouldn't come out. The cold chill of panic was starting to set in. It wasn't that I wouldn't comply with the plan, it was that I couldn't. It had taken years to train to use my staff, but this was something completely different. I was essentially thrown in with the Rykuna (an especially aggressive and carnivorous sea-beast) with no idea how to swim.

“Relax.”

It wasn't the word that surprised me, but the voice behind it. Not only did I know this voice and know the speaker, but she had said that very same word to me before, practically face to face. Had she been watching me the entire time? Was she actually here in the tent? There was a sense of power in the air, but I’d assumed that was coming from the Shaman. It was a bit of a stretch to believe that the two were one in the same, they just looked too different. On one hand there was the woman with the golden hair, fair skin, the grace of a dragon and the love of a mother and of a queen. On the other hand there was the shaman, who for all her grace and poise had a devious spark to her eyes and a fey smile curling her lips. It was that same smile that crossed her face as she watched me struggle with the voice in my head, obviously knowing who it was who was speaking to me.

“Relax. You know what to do; close your eyes and find your staff.”

Just like my waking back in the Academy, I obeyed without question, her voice leading me on where I was more than willing to follow. Closing my eyes to her command, I started trying to search. It was like trying to find a stray button that’d rolled under a bed, only I couldn't use my arms. I had learned to use “Ranger-Sight” back at the Academy, a method to detect life of both Humans and Pokemon; but never had I even tried to detect something inanimate. Detecting the Shaman was easy (and gave me another reason to think that she was something more than a human), and even though they were farther away, I could tell exactly where not only the inhabitants of the village were, but also the Pokemon of the night, flying through the air and scurrying underground. In a sense, it was humbling, to feel so connected to literally everyone. When you could only see life, nothing more, we all looked exactly the same; we all were exactly the same.

For all my observations, I still couldn't see my staff. Deeper, I’d just have to look closer. While staffs weren't alive, I’d heard them described as “pathways”. I’d never had the need to look for pathways; any work I’d ever done I’d always had my staff for. Anything I could find I tried pushing against, just to see if it would budge. In this state, there was life, and there was the void; any objects that were found were lost almost immediately. It was like trying to see birdsong.

It was like trying to see birdsong! I was using the wrong senses to try to find something that should have been more than obvious. Opening my other senses to this different side of reality, the world became an entirely different place. Everything was apparent, the vibrations in the air, the flow of what little water ran underground, but most importantly the only objects that lacked the iridescence of this other-sight. There was no doubt; they were Ranger Staffs, as well as the rare natural gemstone hidden in the earth. There was one that just felt more familiar than the others, so I made my choice and began to push.

The effect was immediate and nearly overwhelming, but I wasn't afraid anymore. All sense of self-doubt and resignation were gone – seemingly left behind in the place where I could only see life. The connection was just as strong as if I’d been holding the staff in my hand, if not more so, as I would never be able to take it for granted again. I needed to be free, that was the next step, and I had to get free. Almost as if the energies about me heard my thoughts (maybe they had, stranger things had happened) they presented themselves before me like strands of light hanging in front of my vision, glowing brighter than the sparks of life around the village. They wove themselves together at my command, and fast like an arrow loosed from a bow, shot to my staff and back, not just tearing the ropes binding my hands, but shattering them as if they were made of brittle glass.

Shocked back to reality, my eyes flicked open as I drew myself off the floor. The Shaman gave me a flash of a grin before getting to her feet, staff pointed at my face, and a wonderfully theatrical, determined look on her face.

“Don’t make me do this.” She said, starting to light the end of her staff, while drawing a dagger with her free hand, “just sit back down.”

“You can’t stop me.”

An eruption of smoke and light filled the hut as a loud bang emanated from one of our staffs. This was my cue to run; take Rodromus and get far away from this village, but in that moment I couldn't be sure whether it had come from her, or from me. I inched forward, afraid for what I would see. Was she okay? Was she about to double-cross me, and capture me again? Neither thought proved to be true, but the sight was nearly worse than any scheme. She was sprawled on her back, unconscious and apparently burned from the impact. Her staff, laying a few feet away was broken, shards of the gemstone littering the ground. Part of my wanted to stay, to make certain that this hadn't been my doing, but the sound of our confrontation had not been ignored. I could hear the village rousing themselves, and approaching the hut. If I was going to leave, it would have to be now.

Darting out of the hut before the smoke had fully cleared; I was able to basically leap across the path to the tent where my staff was being kept. How I was able to find it so quickly was beyond me. There seemed to be a bit of luck on my side after all, for the tent was not only unguarded, but also unoccupied. Whether it was planned or not, the lapse wouldn't last long. Grabbing my staff, I ran back to the path to find the majority of the village closing around the Shaman’s Hut. I didn't know whether they’d seen me, and frankly I didn't care, so long as I didn't have the lot of them chasing after me. I obviously couldn't whistle for Rodromus to come, but I had a better alternative. Similar to searching for my staff, I shot my mind out, calling for that wonderful, powerful beast of mine; calling for him to come to me. I wasn't disappointed, but I was more obtrusive than I had meant to be. As it happened, he was closer to the hut than I’d thought, and the sight of him suddenly getting up to run to my side had not been missed. Fortunately he was a faster runner than any man. We couldn't afford to slow down, not with the entire village so close on his heels. I was running, and in an instant wrapped my arms around his neck to pull myself onto his back mid-gallop. It hadn't been graceful (and my arms would probably be red raw by morning) but it did the job. We were free, at least for now, but keeping a low profile would be a lot harder than ever.

only a week and a half between chapters, I'm making good time. "bonus chapters" showing a little bit of backstory of some to-be-prominent characters should be appearing soon (as soon as I remember how to actually start a story). Enjoy another random drawing of Mahin :3 (while I learn to use my tablet properly)

Spoiler:Chapter 30 - Towers

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.We rode together through the night, determined to put plenty of distance between ourselves and the village. Had we waited any longer the escape would have been impossible. As luck would have it, the Shaman had convinced the village that I was bound to Rodromus (probably not far from the truth by this point), that he could sense my distress while I was tied up, and that if anyone, save for an experienced Ranger, approached him, he would attack. It had been that fear of attack that kept the villagers from stripping him of all the supplies I’d gathered, and kept them from hurting him. It made me happy that he hadn’t been hurt, not only because without him I wouldn’t have been able to get away, but also for his company. History was littered with the stories of Ranger’s who’d gone mad in solitude, though they usually ended up killing themselves before they’d done any real damage.

Under the darkness of the hiding moon, by regular standards, it was nearly impossible to see. Luckily, I wasn’t using ‘regular standards’. By immersing myself in the land about me, hearing more than I could see, and touching more than I could hear, the world around me was exposed in an eerie, iridescent tangle of energies. The path, as I had expected, was illuminated with fragments of energies; the bits left behind or lost during travels. Even in the darkest night or the deepest void couldn’t turn me away anymore. Now I’d have the advantage over any pursuers, but for now we were alone on the path. Most people, fearing either bandits or wild Pokemon would never dare travel at night. If you couldn’t see, you couldn’t protect yourself and that would make you easy prey. Granted, I’d probably be easy prey either way, as being able to actually defend yourself was equally as important as knowing an attack was coming.

Just like any other form of Ranger-Magic, this second sight began to take its toll on my energy. Somehow, I couldn’t push myself to pull on the energies I could see. What I had would come back, whether through rest or time, but once these energies were taken they couldn’t come back. Instead of watching until I collapsed, I pulled away allowing the darkness of the night to hold my vision. Even now, my legs drooped down the saddle instead of holding to Rodromus’ sides. Looping my arms gently around his neck, I rested my head against his scales and let him run. He knew the way, I was sure of it, but whether or not I was right, we just kept running, heading towards the border between the Tribes and the Western Kingdom. Unless I wanted to get in the ocean, I had no choice but to not only pass through the Western Kingdom, but the Central as well. It was dangerous, more dangerous than anything I’d ever done before. The king lived in the Central Kingdom, and it was him and his army who led the hunt against Rogues. Going to the Imperial City would mean death as sure as drinking a bottle and a half of poison. Even if I managed to stay out of the King’s Backyard, his soldiers patrolled the Kingdom. (Technically his soldiers patrolled the entire Region, but more so in the King’s own Clan). Besides, I’d never actually learned how to swim, and as far as I knew, Rodromus weren’t natural swimmers either.

At some point, I must have fallen asleep. The dawn and the landscape had changed all too suddenly. Dawn had come, casting the earliest morning rays of sunlight across the sky. Acres and acres of what must have been abandoned farmlands stretched out to the horizon as far as the eye could see. At some time, it appeared that grain, or some other ground-crop had been grown here, but now what had been neatly dug rows were wickedly overgrown. One single shape stuck out of the horizon, but whether it was a building or a tree or something else entirely, I had no idea. It was a dark blotch a long ways away, but I was more than curious to figure out what it was. If nothing else, it was clearly the only shelter for miles around.

“Good Morning,” I whispered, sitting up straight and rubbing the side of his neck, “You’ve done so good so far. We just have a little bit more to go, then you can rest, ok?” His response was s surprisingly loud; considering he’d been quiet the entire journey so far, somewhere between a cluck and a coo. Smiling to myself, I guided him gently through the fields towards the shelter. As we approached, I began to recognize the building for what it was, and nearly turned us away to find some other shelter. Though I hadn’t seen one in person before, I couldn’t mistake it from the stories and histories I’d heard. Undoubtedly, this was a Ranger Tower, one of the last remnants of the Ancient Clanwars. Before the Central Kingdom established dominance in the Region, all of the Clans had been fighting for power. There was no unified school for teaching Rangers, so each Clan built one (or more) Towers, used for housing and teaching Rangers, similar to the Academy but on a much smaller scale. Once the Central Kingdom took control, they put all the Rangers under one set of Laws and established the Academy in a plot of land that didn’t belong to any one Clan. Rather than take the effort to tear down the Towers, they were left for some possible future use. From what I’d heard though, geographically the Towers were regarded as taboo; and the evidence was clear to see here. Very few, if any people were willing to live or work near a Tower, to the point where miles of farmland would be completely abandoned.

In truth, this tower had all but collapsed. A stone fence that only really came up to my knees ran around what must have been the perimeter of the Tower’s grounds. The Tower itself, or what was left of it, couldn’t have stood much taller than twice my own height. Stones from the upper levels had fallen to the ground and were taken my nature, nearly completely covered in moss and grass. All that seemed to be left were the outlines of a few rooms without roofs, and what appeared to be about half of a staircase.

I slid off Rodromus’ back, so as to let him rest and so I could take a look around. It really wasn’t my smartest idea. After riding for so long, my legs didn’t seem to want to straighten out, let alone hold my own weight. No, I had to get up; we needed food and water. Three times I tried to stagger to my feet, and three times I overbalanced and wound up back on the ground. The fourth time, a warm, scaly nose pushed itself under my arm, helping me onto my feet. He didn’t leave and settle into a patch of soft grain and grass until I was up and able to walk around on my own. He really was a great Pokemon, I was lucky to travel with him. While he slept, I poked around the ruins for a bit, looking for anything to use for food or drink. None of the grasses or mosses looked particularly edible, and I really didn’t fancy wandering the old crop fields alone, especially if there would be soldiers looking for me. I was able to find an antiquated water pump, and persuaded it to give me enough water to fill my waterskin, and a rock with enough of a curve to it to hold a bit for Rodromus. He drank a little when I sat down beside him, and I kept refilling the stone until his stripes were as vibrant blue as the day we left the Academy. I could always refill before we left, but for now we sat and drank in the shade of the ruined tower, sheltered from the wind and heat of the day, just waiting for the sun to wane.

Spoiler:Chapter 30 - Towers

We rode together through the night, determined to put plenty of distance between ourselves and the village. Had we waited any longer the escape would have been impossible. As luck would have it, the Shaman had convinced the village that I was bound to Rodromus (probably not far from the truth by this point), that he could sense my distress while I was tied up, and that if anyone, save for an experienced Ranger, approached him, he would attack. It had been that fear of attack that kept the villagers from stripping him of all the supplies I’d gathered, and kept them from hurting him. It made me happy that he hadn’t been hurt, not only because without him I wouldn’t have been able to get away, but also for his company. History was littered with the stories of Ranger’s who’d gone mad in solitude, though they usually ended up killing themselves before they’d done any real damage.

Under the darkness of the hiding moon, by regular standards, it was nearly impossible to see. Luckily, I wasn’t using ‘regular standards’. By immersing myself in the land about me, hearing more than I could see, and touching more than I could hear, the world around me was exposed in an eerie, iridescent tangle of energies. The path, as I had expected, was illuminated with fragments of energies; the bits left behind or lost during travels. Even in the darkest night or the deepest void couldn’t turn me away anymore. Now I’d have the advantage over any pursuers, but for now we were alone on the path. Most people, fearing either bandits or wild Pokemon would never dare travel at night. If you couldn’t see, you couldn’t protect yourself and that would make you easy prey. Granted, I’d probably be easy prey either way, as being able to actually defend yourself was equally as important as knowing an attack was coming.

Just like any other form of Ranger-Magic, this second sight began to take its toll on my energy. Somehow, I couldn’t push myself to pull on the energies I could see. What I had would come back, whether through rest or time, but once these energies were taken they couldn’t come back. Instead of watching until I collapsed, I pulled away allowing the darkness of the night to hold my vision. Even now, my legs drooped down the saddle instead of holding to Rodromus’ sides. Looping my arms gently around his neck, I rested my head against his scales and let him run. He knew the way, I was sure of it, but whether or not I was right, we just kept running, heading towards the border between the Tribes and the Western Kingdom. Unless I wanted to get in the ocean, I had no choice but to not only pass through the Western Kingdom, but the Central as well. It was dangerous, more dangerous than anything I’d ever done before. The king lived in the Central Kingdom, and it was him and his army who led the hunt against Rogues. Going to the Imperial City would mean death as sure as drinking a bottle and a half of poison. Even if I managed to stay out of the King’s Backyard, his soldiers patrolled the Kingdom. (Technically his soldiers patrolled the entire Region, but more so in the King’s own Clan). Besides, I’d never actually learned how to swim, and as far as I knew, Rodromus weren’t natural swimmers either.

At some point, I must have fallen asleep. The dawn and the landscape had changed all too suddenly. Dawn had come, casting the earliest morning rays of sunlight across the sky. Acres and acres of what must have been abandoned farmlands stretched out to the horizon as far as the eye could see. At some time, it appeared that grain, or some other ground-crop had been grown here, but now what had been neatly dug rows were wickedly overgrown. One single shape stuck out of the horizon, but whether it was a building or a tree or something else entirely, I had no idea. It was a dark blotch a long ways away, but I was more than curious to figure out what it was. If nothing else, it was clearly the only shelter for miles around.

“Good Morning,” I whispered, sitting up straight and rubbing the side of his neck, “You’ve done so good so far. We just have a little bit more to go, then you can rest, ok?” His response was s surprisingly loud; considering he’d been quiet the entire journey so far, somewhere between a cluck and a coo. Smiling to myself, I guided him gently through the fields towards the shelter. As we approached, I began to recognize the building for what it was, and nearly turned us away to find some other shelter. Though I hadn’t seen one in person before, I couldn’t mistake it from the stories and histories I’d heard. Undoubtedly, this was a Ranger Tower, one of the last remnants of the Ancient Clanwars. Before the Central Kingdom established dominance in the Region, all of the Clans had been fighting for power. There was no unified school for teaching Rangers, so each Clan built one (or more) Towers, used for housing and teaching Rangers, similar to the Academy but on a much smaller scale. Once the Central Kingdom took control, they put all the Rangers under one set of Laws and established the Academy in a plot of land that didn’t belong to any one Clan. Rather than take the effort to tear down the Towers, they were left for some possible future use. From what I’d heard though, geographically the Towers were regarded as taboo; and the evidence was clear to see here. Very few, if any people were willing to live or work near a Tower, to the point where miles of farmland would be completely abandoned.

In truth, this tower had all but collapsed. A stone fence that only really came up to my knees ran around what must have been the perimeter of the Tower’s grounds. The Tower itself, or what was left of it, couldn’t have stood much taller than twice my own height. Stones from the upper levels had fallen to the ground and were taken my nature, nearly completely covered in moss and grass. All that seemed to be left were the outlines of a few rooms without roofs, and what appeared to be about half of a staircase.

I slid off Rodromus’ back, so as to let him rest and so I could take a look around. It really wasn’t my smartest idea. After riding for so long, my legs didn’t seem to want to straighten out, let alone hold my own weight. No, I had to get up; we needed food and water. Three times I tried to stagger to my feet, and three times I overbalanced and wound up back on the ground. The fourth time, a warm, scaly nose pushed itself under my arm, helping me onto my feet. He didn’t leave and settle into a patch of soft grain and grass until I was up and able to walk around on my own. He really was a great Pokemon, I was lucky to travel with him. While he slept, I poked around the ruins for a bit, looking for anything to use for food or drink. None of the grasses or mosses looked particularly edible, and I really didn’t fancy wandering the old crop fields alone, especially if there would be soldiers looking for me. I was able to find an antiquated water pump, and persuaded it to give me enough water to fill my waterskin, and a rock with enough of a curve to it to hold a bit for Rodromus. He drank a little when I sat down beside him, and I kept refilling the stone until his stripes were as vibrant blue as the day we left the Academy. I could always refill before we left, but for now we sat and drank in the shade of the ruined tower, sheltered from the wind and heat of the day, just waiting for the sun to wane.

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.The tower itself was extraordinary. As the day went on, I was either curious enough or bored enough to take another look around, but I couldn’t exactly get up. Rodromus was fast asleep, and he’d been working so hard. Risking waking him up, just to stretch my legs didn’t seem worth it. He needed sleep just as much as I did, if not more. Instead, I turned my attention to sight, or rather, second-sight. It was important, especially when we were resting to know whether we were being pursued or not. What I found was much more interesting. If the path we’d taken to get here was woven of energies, then the ground around the tower was nothing short of an ocean. Whether this energy was left here from the ClanWars, or if the tower was built here because of its presence, I had no idea. It was intriguing, not just seeing the energy wash and flow around the ruined tower, but to feel it as clearly as I could have a wave on a beach or a gust of wind in a tree. It was real, and it was revitalizing. No wonder Rangers were so feared after the Clanwars; the things that could be done with this much energy at your disposal, especially before the laws of the Rangers were written.

Aside from the churning sea of energies, there were what seemed to be thousands of little spikes of life under the ground. It was completely impossible that any single pin of life could be a pursuer. As far as I knew, soldiers either travelled on top of the ground or in the air. A force as large as what was down there could not have followed me without being noticed. Whether the Pokémon would come up to see me was another matter. I really wasn’t about to try to call them; I had no idea whether they were violent or not, and having a horde on my hands would be a very bad idea. Even a Veteran Ranger would have trouble subduing Pokemon in such numbers, and I was a long ways from being a Veteran, if I could still call myself a Ranger.

Then it hit me, hard and fast. I couldn’t call myself a Ranger anymore. Everything I had done back in the Shaman’s Village, every single act I had committed threw away every virtue, standard and law the Rangers stood for. Instead of protecting the land and protecting life, I’d shattered the ground and killed a Pokémon. I’d lost the emotional control that had been carefully cultivated over years of training and study back of the academy, as well as using a power far outside the boundaries of the laws. I’d attacked a human, and I had no idea whether she was alive or dead. She had been right, there was no turning back. I just could not have imagined how crushing that particular truth would be. How soon would it be for them to come after me? Would they go south, to the farm where I’d worked or to the family I’d worked for? Gods, they hadn’t done anything wrong; I hadn’t even seen them in years! The school would probably be fine; they would have reported my flight almost immediately. Besides, they had a veteran Rogue hunter right there at the school.

Oh gods, what could I do if she came after me? A cove wave swept through my shaking limbs as I imagined that wolf, snarling and barking, coming after me again. It was nothing more than luck that got me away the first time. What would I do if it found me a second time, or a third? Tears stung my tired eyes at the very thought; just the thought of the Penebrae alone. If Pyry came along I’d be doomed before I could say ‘mercy’. She’d never acted like she liked me at the Academy (though, aside from her Penebrae, I wasn’t sure if she actually liked anyone). Would she cut me down on the spot, or take me back to the capitol to be hung. Either way, she would have justice; and I had crossed the line, and I was terrified.

In this state of privacy, here in the tower with nobody around, I completely broke down. How could I cope with the fact that something like Pyry could be, and more than likely was, coming after me? The King’s soldiers were just the beginning, and every path I could see laid out ahead of me, every single path, ended with me either getting cut down, or finding solace in the noose. I can’t, I just can’t; I don’t want to die! Not like this, definitely not like this.

There was something crawling on up my arm. I hadn’t noticed it on my hand at all, but it was already nearly to my shoulder. Jerking my shoulder back and forth didn’t throw it off, so I wiped my eyes, and scooped it into my hand. For a moment, I had to keep rotating my hand, so as to not let this little black lizard run right over the edge. I’d never seen anything like it before, and though I couldn’t get a good look at it, it seemed to have hard black scales on its back, but a softer, slimy membrane on its underbelly. Its back legs looked like they might have been longer than its front, but kept them folded up as it ran around and around. After a few minutes, it chose a spot on my knuckles, and just sat there, looking at me. If I had to put an emotion to that tiny face, I suppose I would have called it curious; but it was those eyes that held my attention. Though each was smaller than a pea, they were black, but shone like the night sky.

“Hello little one,” I whispered, gently running a finger down its head and along its back, “Thanks for letting me stay here for a little while. I’m just scared right now, and needed a place to rest.” I looked down at it again, “This is your home isn’t it, and you’ve lived here all your life. You’ve got such a good home here, but there’s so many wonders in this world you’ve never seen. You’ve never seen my before in your life, but you jumped onto my shoulder and sat right on my hand. I could have hurt you, but you trusted me not to. Why did you do that little one?”

A small chirruping, croaking sound came not from the little lizard on my hand, but from another lizard that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. I hadn’t felt it crawling up my leg, or any tugging on my robes, but yet there it was, sitting content as can be on my knee. Its throat expanded, and that strange sound trumpeted out again. Then, still as content as could be, it wiggled its arms around, and leapt into the air, fully extending its back legs (which shockingly enough looked to be about twice the length of the lizard itself). For a moment, it just hovered there, shaking its legs up and down; then seeming to catch its rhythm, beat its back legs like a pair of wings and shot higher into the air. All at once, the ground around me was alive with thousands of little black lizards, running and leaping. It was like the very ground itself was taking to the skies. In the setting sun, their scales started to shine with iridescent reds and yellows, not unlike the energies I’d seen with second sight. Together, they formed a living ring of fire around the Ruined Tower, dancing and prancing through the air.

Slowly, so as to not disturb the little one on my knuckles, I stood up. It was a fire, a living fire but it would never burn. It just glowed, spiraling up to the night sky. The lizard still on my hand was croaking, jumping up and down, but for whatever reason it couldn’t seem to get more than an inch or so away from my hand. It wasn’t paying any attention to me anymore. To it, I was a platform; harmless as a tree or a rock, but maybe I could be a little more helpful. Quickly swinging my arm up, I launched it into the sky, back to all the others. At the peak of the throw, it extended its back legs (which really looked more like wings at this point) and caught the wind, spiraling up to its comrades. Within seconds, I couldn’t tell my little lizard apart from any of the others.

You two are quite alike you know. You know where to go; all you needed was a little push.

I spun around, frantically looking for the voice. Nobody should have been able to sneak up on me like that. There hadn’t been anyone around, anyone except me and the lizards. A faint chuckling sounded in my head, with that same voice as before, making my skin crawl. Whoever was doing this, whoever had found me, wasn’t necessarily right here. Yes, it took more energy to speak to someone who is farther away, but the thought only made matters worse. Whoever’d found me not only had been looking for me, but had enough power to communicate without being close enough for me to see them, one way or the other.

You silly girl, I didn’t think you’d be so surprised. The answer’s right in front of you, just turn around.

All that was behind me was Rodromus, and the old stone fence. Wait… Rodromus? I thought he’d been sleeping, but he’d lifted his head up and was looking at me. That look on his face, was he wondering what I was doing, or was he really just laughing at me?

“You?” I whispered, kneeling back down next to him.

Not unless your little lizard friend is quick to communicate.

“I thought only Rangers and their bonded partner could-?”

Communicate like this? You aren’t wrong, but I wouldn’t call this a bond just yet. I’ve chosen you, but a true bond isn’t so one sided.

“Why choose me?” I whispered, tears starting to well up in my eyes, “I’m not a Ranger.”

And who told you that?

For a moment, the words stuck in my throat, “I just – I – I’ve broken nearly every law I’ve been taught. I’ll be hung as soon as they can catch me.”

Laws are a human’s invention, and “Ranger” is a human’s title. What do I care of that? You are who you are BrightEyes, and that is who I’ve chosen.

Spoiler:Chapter 31 - Luminescent Lizards

The tower itself was extraordinary. As the day went on, I was either curious enough or bored enough to take another look around, but I couldn’t exactly get up. Rodromus was fast asleep, and he’d been working so hard. Risking waking him up, just to stretch my legs didn’t seem worth it. He needed sleep just as much as I did, if not more. Instead, I turned my attention to sight, or rather, second-sight. It was important, especially when we were resting to know whether we were being pursued or not. What I found was much more interesting. If the path we’d taken to get here was woven of energies, then the ground around the tower was nothing short of an ocean. Whether this energy was left here from the ClanWars, or if the tower was built here because of its presence, I had no idea. It was intriguing, not just seeing the energy wash and flow around the ruined tower, but to feel it as clearly as I could have a wave on a beach or a gust of wind in a tree. It was real, and it was revitalizing. No wonder Rangers were so feared after the Clanwars; the things that could be done with this much energy at your disposal, especially before the laws of the Rangers were written.

Aside from the churning sea of energies, there were what seemed to be thousands of little spikes of life under the ground. It was completely impossible that any single pin of life could be a pursuer. As far as I knew, soldiers either travelled on top of the ground or in the air. A force as large as what was down there could not have followed me without being noticed. Whether the Pokémon would come up to see me was another matter. I really wasn’t about to try to call them; I had no idea whether they were violent or not, and having a horde on my hands would be a very bad idea. Even a Veteran Ranger would have trouble subduing Pokemon in such numbers, and I was a long ways from being a Veteran, if I could still call myself a Ranger.

Then it hit me, hard and fast. I couldn’t call myself a Ranger anymore. Everything I had done back in the Shaman’s Village, every single act I had committed threw away every virtue, standard and law the Rangers stood for. Instead of protecting the land and protecting life, I’d shattered the ground and killed a Pokémon. I’d lost the emotional control that had been carefully cultivated over years of training and study back of the academy, as well as using a power far outside the boundaries of the laws. I’d attacked a human, and I had no idea whether she was alive or dead. She had been right, there was no turning back. I just could not have imagined how crushing that particular truth would be. How soon would it be for them to come after me? Would they go south, to the farm where I’d worked or to the family I’d worked for? Gods, they hadn’t done anything wrong; I hadn’t even seen them in years! The school would probably be fine; they would have reported my flight almost immediately. Besides, they had a veteran Rogue hunter right there at the school.

Oh gods, what could I do if she came after me? A cove wave swept through my shaking limbs as I imagined that wolf, snarling and barking, coming after me again. It was nothing more than luck that got me away the first time. What would I do if it found me a second time, or a third? Tears stung my tired eyes at the very thought; just the thought of the Penebrae alone. If Pyry came along I’d be doomed before I could say ‘mercy’. She’d never acted like she liked me at the Academy (though, aside from her Penebrae, I wasn’t sure if she actually liked anyone). Would she cut me down on the spot, or take me back to the capitol to be hung. Either way, she would have justice; and I had crossed the line, and I was terrified.

In this state of privacy, here in the tower with nobody around, I completely broke down. How could I cope with the fact that something like Pyry could be, and more than likely was, coming after me? The King’s soldiers were just the beginning, and every path I could see laid out ahead of me, every single path, ended with me either getting cut down, or finding solace in the noose. I can’t, I just can’t; I don’t want to die! Not like this, definitely not like this.

There was something crawling on up my arm. I hadn’t noticed it on my hand at all, but it was already nearly to my shoulder. Jerking my shoulder back and forth didn’t throw it off, so I wiped my eyes, and scooped it into my hand. For a moment, I had to keep rotating my hand, so as to not let this little black lizard run right over the edge. I’d never seen anything like it before, and though I couldn’t get a good look at it, it seemed to have hard black scales on its back, but a softer, slimy membrane on its underbelly. Its back legs looked like they might have been longer than its front, but kept them folded up as it ran around and around. After a few minutes, it chose a spot on my knuckles, and just sat there, looking at me. If I had to put an emotion to that tiny face, I suppose I would have called it curious; but it was those eyes that held my attention. Though each was smaller than a pea, they were black, but shone like the night sky.

“Hello little one,” I whispered, gently running a finger down its head and along its back, “Thanks for letting me stay here for a little while. I’m just scared right now, and needed a place to rest.” I looked down at it again, “This is your home isn’t it, and you’ve lived here all your life. You’ve got such a good home here, but there’s so many wonders in this world you’ve never seen. You’ve never seen my before in your life, but you jumped onto my shoulder and sat right on my hand. I could have hurt you, but you trusted me not to. Why did you do that little one?”

A small chirruping, croaking sound came not from the little lizard on my hand, but from another lizard that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. I hadn’t felt it crawling up my leg, or any tugging on my robes, but yet there it was, sitting content as can be on my knee. Its throat expanded, and that strange sound trumpeted out again. Then, still as content as could be, it wiggled its arms around, and leapt into the air, fully extending its back legs (which shockingly enough looked to be about twice the length of the lizard itself). For a moment, it just hovered there, shaking its legs up and down; then seeming to catch its rhythm, beat its back legs like a pair of wings and shot higher into the air. All at once, the ground around me was alive with thousands of little black lizards, running and leaping. It was like the very ground itself was taking to the skies. In the setting sun, their scales started to shine with iridescent reds and yellows, not unlike the energies I’d seen with second sight. Together, they formed a living ring of fire around the Ruined Tower, dancing and prancing through the air.

Slowly, so as to not disturb the little one on my knuckles, I stood up. It was a fire, a living fire but it would never burn. It just glowed, spiraling up to the night sky. The lizard still on my hand was croaking, jumping up and down, but for whatever reason it couldn’t seem to get more than an inch or so away from my hand. It wasn’t paying any attention to me anymore. To it, I was a platform; harmless as a tree or a rock, but maybe I could be a little more helpful. Quickly swinging my arm up, I launched it into the sky, back to all the others. At the peak of the throw, it extended its back legs (which really looked more like wings at this point) and caught the wind, spiraling up to its comrades. Within seconds, I couldn’t tell my little lizard apart from any of the others.

You two are quite alike you know. You know where to go; all you needed was a little push.

I spun around, frantically looking for the voice. Nobody should have been able to sneak up on me like that. There hadn’t been anyone around, anyone except me and the lizards. A faint chuckling sounded in my head, with that same voice as before, making my skin crawl. Whoever was doing this, whoever had found me, wasn’t necessarily right here. Yes, it took more energy to speak to someone who is farther away, but the thought only made matters worse. Whoever’d found me not only had been looking for me, but had enough power to communicate without being close enough for me to see them, one way or the other.

You silly girl, I didn’t think you’d be so surprised. The answer’s right in front of you, just turn around.

All that was behind me was Rodromus, and the old stone fence. Wait… Rodromus? I thought he’d been sleeping, but he’d lifted his head up and was looking at me. That look on his face, was he wondering what I was doing, or was he really just laughing at me?

“You?” I whispered, kneeling back down next to him.

Not unless your little lizard friend is quick to communicate.

“I thought only Rangers and their bonded partner could-?”

Communicate like this? You aren’t wrong, but I wouldn’t call this a bond just yet. I’ve chosen you, but a true bond isn’t so one sided.

“Why choose me?” I whispered, tears starting to well up in my eyes, “I’m not a Ranger.”

And who told you that?

For a moment, the words stuck in my throat, “I just – I – I’ve broken nearly every law I’ve been taught. I’ll be hung as soon as they can catch me.”

Laws are a human’s invention, and “Ranger” is a human’s title. What do I care of that? You are who you are BrightEyes, and that is who I’ve chosen.

Hello wonderful readers! Welcome to tGM's conquest of NaNoWiMo, where instead of writing some whole new novel (let's face it, this thing will be kinda long) I've chosen to extend this story, by about tripling the word count (from ~30000 to ~90000 words) within the month. To achieve this goal, I'll be honest, it might feel like spam for a bit :3 If all goes well and according to plan, there should be about five updates a week, or more. Sounds fun right! Fun's just beginning; aside from having ALL the updates, I'll also be starting some "bonus chapters", which - to put it bluntly - will tell the backstories or sidestories of some characterswe've met, or will meet along the way :3 Bonus chapters don't necessiarly run concurrently with the timeline of the story, but I'll try to keep the first post ordered enough that chronology is actually a thing. I'm excited, this is exciting. Let's see who can actually keep up with me this month >:3

Spoiler:Chapter 32 - 'Dat Bondmate

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text. The sun’s nearly set BrightEyes. If you want to leave, now would be good. I nodded and hoisted myself onto his back, and away we went. The near-dark of night had become something of a comfort to me. In all that had happened, the change of light and dark, night and day would always stay the same; no human law or weapon could ever take that away. Human laws or weapons could take me away from them though. I couldn’t get away from it; that thought, that fear. I was mortal, horribly, pathetically mortal. Despite all my luck so far, one mistake or accidental encounter could spell death clearer than writing it in the dirt. We rode along in silence while I tried to keep these thoughts to myself. It wouldn’t do any good to worry Rodromus about problems it couldn’t control, but I was finding it hard to lock off a private place in my mind. This bond really was more than I’d ever thought it would be. I’d heard that Ranger and partner could communicate better than other Pokemon, but I hadn’t expected to her his voice inside my head, or for him to understand my words. I hadn’t expected my bondmate to essentially be sharing my entire mind. I couldn’t get into his, or maybe I already was and just didn’t realize. Was this what they felt like when we touched them through our staffs? Either way, it was a little unnerving, to be leaning against something that could potentially pull away at any time. The crop fields around us grew more and more expansive the further we rode into the Kingdom. Unlike the plantations back home where the trees could grow hundreds of thousands berries very high off the ground (thus the need for kids like me to leap from tree to tree during harvest), plants grew close to the ground, but grew larger (and presumably heavier) crops. Though it couldn’t be Harvest Season this early in the year, plants like this would need more care than trees so as to guard against weeds and hungry little Pokémon. That meant somebody would have to be tending the fields.Where do you think you’re going? The town is that way. I had tried to steer Rodromus off the path, so as to (hopefully) avoid running into anyone. “Crops like this need people to tend them year round.”And? “I’m not really in the mood to get handed over to the soldiers tonight.”How about tomorrow? “I didn’t realize I had such a sassy mindmate. Let’s just aim for not getting caught, period.”If you insist, but how do you know there are soldiers out here tonight? “I don’t, not for sure anyway, but I’d rather be safe than dead.”I’d rather be warm than safe. “You aren’t the one who’d hang.”True, but why don’t you actually look before jumping to the single worst conclusion possible? “Because,” I said, switching my sight again so as to see the energies of everyone and everything across the farmland, “I can’t tell the difference between farmers and soldiers, and there are plenty of people out tonight.”Where are they? “Over that way, but – hey!” I’d pointed over the fields as an answer, but he’d changed direction, heading towards the strangers. “Where do you think you’re going?”To a warm bed and a good meal; you clearly need both. “but-“If you see soldiers, tell me, and I’ll turn around straight away, but until then you are not living as a scared little- “Fine, I get it.” I could almost feel the smirk on his face as we continued to ride, now back on the path and once again heading towards the town. Though the people were still a ways off, I couldn’t help myself. Anxiety crept in like a cold wind, keeping my senses sharp and my hair on end. Even Rodromus’ own footsteps kept me constantly looking around with both sights, convinced there was someone too close by. True, we were getting close to the pack of people I’d spotted earlier, but for the most part they seemed to be staying put. It wasn’t normal, especially this late at night for a group of people to just stay put. Even if it was normal for people to be out this late at night here, they wouldn’t be just standing around. On any farm, there was no real downtime, not for this long. Don’t even think about it. “Come on, even you have to admit that isn’t normal.”Abnormal doesn’t mean dangerous. They might need help. “It could be a trap. The Shaman said news from her Clan would spread quickly.”Yes, attacking a Clan Chief doesn’t go unnoticed for long, but does that mean that regular folk won’t still get in trouble? “I suppose, but-“And, I thought you were oh so worried about not being a Ranger anymore because you couldn’t help people anymore. Isn’t this a good chance to redeem yourself? “D*mn it, you know I can’t just run into something like this.”Then think like the lizards. Explore without worry, and wait to run until danger actually shows itself. “I don’t really have a choice either way do I?”None whatsoever, so try not to look like a lunatic when we get there would you? Sighing, I stowed my staff back on the pack behind my saddle, and put both my arms around his neck while we continued to ride. We would happen upon them soon at this rate, but something still seemed off. There were no tents or fires that would single out this group of people as a group of Soldiers. Rather, there was a sense of stress in the air, and panicked, distressed voices of men and women alike. Fine, Rodromus was right; unless this was a ridiculously impressive con, I should be safe for now. Soldiers rarely sounded like that for no reason, and besides, since when were women part of the King’s Army? “Ho! Ranger! You got a minute?” Someone from the throng of people called out, assumedly to me. ‘Ranger’ he’d called me. If he thought I was actually a Ranger, was there any chance he would- You’ve definitely got a minute BrightEyes, better not keep them waiting. “Yes!” I tried to call back, making my voice more confident than I was. A Ranger would have nothing to fear from helping a group of people, so why should I sound afraid? “What’s the trouble?” “One of our Elkin turned her ankle. We’ve got her loaded into the cart, but the others aren’t strong enough to pull everyone back to town. Is there any way your Rodromus could give us a hand? We’d be able to get you a ride into town.”Yes. “If he fits into the harness I don’t see why not.” After some tinkering around, tightening and loosening straps to change an Elkin harness to fit my Rodromus well enough, I found myself sandwiched in-between an Elderly Man and a girl who couldn’t have been a day older than I was when I left for the academy, on my way into town.

Spoiler:Chapter 32 - 'Dat Bondmate

The sun’s nearly set BrightEyes. If you want to leave, now would be good. I nodded and hoisted myself onto his back, and away we went. The near-dark of night had become something of a comfort to me. In all that had happened, the change of light and dark, night and day would always stay the same; no human law or weapon could ever take that away. Human laws or weapons could take me away from them though. I couldn’t get away from it; that thought, that fear. I was mortal, horribly, pathetically mortal. Despite all my luck so far, one mistake or accidental encounter could spell death clearer than writing it in the dirt. We rode along in silence while I tried to keep these thoughts to myself. It wouldn’t do any good to worry Rodromus about problems it couldn’t control, but I was finding it hard to lock off a private place in my mind. This bond really was more than I’d ever thought it would be. I’d heard that Ranger and partner could communicate better than other Pokemon, but I hadn’t expected to her his voice inside my head, or for him to understand my words. I hadn’t expected my bondmate to essentially be sharing my entire mind. I couldn’t get into his, or maybe I already was and just didn’t realize. Was this what they felt like when we touched them through our staffs? Either way, it was a little unnerving, to be leaning against something that could potentially pull away at any time. The crop fields around us grew more and more expansive the further we rode into the Kingdom. Unlike the plantations back home where the trees could grow hundreds of thousands berries very high off the ground (thus the need for kids like me to leap from tree to tree during harvest), plants grew close to the ground, but grew larger (and presumably heavier) crops. Though it couldn’t be Harvest Season this early in the year, plants like this would need more care than trees so as to guard against weeds and hungry little Pokémon. That meant somebody would have to be tending the fields.Where do you think you’re going? The town is that way. I had tried to steer Rodromus off the path, so as to (hopefully) avoid running into anyone. “Crops like this need people to tend them year round.”And? “I’m not really in the mood to get handed over to the soldiers tonight.”How about tomorrow? “I didn’t realize I had such a sassy mindmate. Let’s just aim for not getting caught, period.”If you insist, but how do you know there are soldiers out here tonight? “I don’t, not for sure anyway, but I’d rather be safe than dead.”I’d rather be warm than safe. “You aren’t the one who’d hang.”True, but why don’t you actually look before jumping to the single worst conclusion possible? “Because,” I said, switching my sight again so as to see the energies of everyone and everything across the farmland, “I can’t tell the difference between farmers and soldiers, and there are plenty of people out tonight.”Where are they? “Over that way, but – hey!” I’d pointed over the fields as an answer, but he’d changed direction, heading towards the strangers. “Where do you think you’re going?”To a warm bed and a good meal; you clearly need both. “but-“If you see soldiers, tell me, and I’ll turn around straight away, but until then you are not living as a scared little- “Fine, I get it.” I could almost feel the smirk on his face as we continued to ride, now back on the path and once again heading towards the town. Though the people were still a ways off, I couldn’t help myself. Anxiety crept in like a cold wind, keeping my senses sharp and my hair on end. Even Rodromus’ own footsteps kept me constantly looking around with both sights, convinced there was someone too close by. True, we were getting close to the pack of people I’d spotted earlier, but for the most part they seemed to be staying put. It wasn’t normal, especially this late at night for a group of people to just stay put. Even if it was normal for people to be out this late at night here, they wouldn’t be just standing around. On any farm, there was no real downtime, not for this long. Don’t even think about it. “Come on, even you have to admit that isn’t normal.”Abnormal doesn’t mean dangerous. They might need help. “It could be a trap. The Shaman said news from her Clan would spread quickly.”Yes, attacking a Clan Chief doesn’t go unnoticed for long, but does that mean that regular folk won’t still get in trouble? “I suppose, but-“And, I thought you were oh so worried about not being a Ranger anymore because you couldn’t help people anymore. Isn’t this a good chance to redeem yourself? “D*mn it, you know I can’t just run into something like this.”Then think like the lizards. Explore without worry, and wait to run until danger actually shows itself. “I don’t really have a choice either way do I?”None whatsoever, so try not to look like a lunatic when we get there would you? Sighing, I stowed my staff back on the pack behind my saddle, and put both my arms around his neck while we continued to ride. We would happen upon them soon at this rate, but something still seemed off. There were no tents or fires that would single out this group of people as a group of Soldiers. Rather, there was a sense of stress in the air, and panicked, distressed voices of men and women alike. Fine, Rodromus was right; unless this was a ridiculously impressive con, I should be safe for now. Soldiers rarely sounded like that for no reason, and besides, since when were women part of the King’s Army? “Ho! Ranger! You got a minute?” Someone from the throng of people called out, assumedly to me. ‘Ranger’ he’d called me. If he thought I was actually a Ranger, was there any chance he would- You’ve definitely got a minute BrightEyes, better not keep them waiting. “Yes!” I tried to call back, making my voice more confident than I was. A Ranger would have nothing to fear from helping a group of people, so why should I sound afraid? “What’s the trouble?” “One of our Elkin turned her ankle. We’ve got her loaded into the cart, but the others aren’t strong enough to pull everyone back to town. Is there any way your Rodromus could give us a hand? We’d be able to get you a ride into town.”Yes. “If he fits into the harness I don’t see why not.” After some tinkering around, tightening and loosening straps to change an Elkin harness to fit my Rodromus well enough, I found myself sandwiched in-between an Elderly Man and a girl who couldn’t have been a day older than I was when I left for the academy, on my way into town.

Today's first bonus chapter is Melody - technically we've met her already, though I haven't actually told her name in the story :3

Spoiler:Bonus Chapters - Melody 1

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.“Why do you dance little one?” “I have to.” Those three words were stronger than I could have ever imagined at the time. For months upon years, I’d chosen that same street corner to step and to spin to the music of a friendly old busker, just a half a block away. It hadn’t been my fault, that I was forced to dance for whatever coin fell from the pockets of the wealthy. It was a cruel world; with strict rules and dire penalties should they be broken. In Kataya, but especially here in the Central Kingdom, everyone knew that Clanblood does not mix. Anyone born between clans was immediately written off as trash, and cast off to join the dregs of the city, as was the case with my mother. From what I understood, she was born to parents from both the Central and Western Kingdoms, and was subsequently thrown away, unable to work and barely able to live. Many times, I wanted to hate her for what she did, providing that service only a desperate woman could, she not only survived, but brought me and my twin brothers into the slums of Rubika, a second generation cur. Even being treated as thus by most of the Rubikan Aristocrats, I could at least take pride that my coin had been earned honestly, quite unlike my sticky-fingered younger sibs. Mama never minded; she was happy that we had bread in our hands – that we could survive on our own if anything was ever to happen to her. So I continued to dance, day in and day out smiling and spinning. In a way, it had been enjoyable. The music really was lovely (I’d always shared part of my coin with that wonderful old man), and though our life wasn’t always easy, it was simple and most of the time it was fairly comfortable. We didn’t have beds of feathers or fluff, but we had a roof over our heads and each other for company. That is, until he came. I’d seen the man around many times before, riding around town in that big shiny black carriage, but he almost always stopped and looked, though he never shed a single coin. It was that look; that hunger in his eyes that drove fear into my heart. Why would he stop every time he passed, and why would he stare like that? Under that gaze, I was nothing more than a tangled up puppet, stumbling over my own feet and nearly spilling my tin of the day’s work. Most days I imagine he would laugh and continue with whatever it was that Lords did in this town, but something felt off. The carriage had pulled away out of sight, but something still nagged in the back of my mind. I should have known he was still there. Knots that had formed in my stomach when I’d seen him didn’t go away. Hair pricked on the back of my neck and arms, and no matter what I told myself, there was a constant sense that I was being hunted. In a sense, I was more than right. As dusk was falling and I was picking off my last few coins for the night, I was approached by someone I could only assume was the man from the carriage. I’d never seen him outside that rolling black box before, but now he was walking towards me; a very large, very tall, tawny-haired man that made me skin crawl. No matter how much coin he had in his pockets, I wanted to be home, right now, before he could take another step. Though I wasn’t quick enough to get all the way home, I had gathered my keep for the day before he was standing over me. Under his gaze my face burned, and my skin wanted to crawl off my bones. “Yes sir?” I asked, keeping my head down, whether in fear or embarrassment, or some sick mixture of the two I had no idea. “You dance very well young lady. Are you out here all by yourself, or do you live with your parents?” He asked with a voice that I might have considered strong or reassuring if I hadn’t been ready to jump out of my skin. “Just my mother, sir.” I responded, legs starting to visibly shake and knock together. “I would like to meet her.” Where on earth could he be going with this? Either way, I was in no position to refuse, “Okay, I can take you there.” He nodded, and I turned and started to walk home. In truth, I really didn’t live that far away, but now I had to walk slowly; I had a guest and had to accommodate for him. Like Mumma had always told me, we had to give respect if we were going to get any back, so I walked slowly so he would have no problems following me. In my slum, it would have been more than easy to lose him, especially with the route I usually took, but I had to stay slow, and stay to the road as long as I could. He wanted to meet Mumma, so I would take him there, and then he’d leave us alone. Everyone always did. Our house, like most of the others around was little more sophisticated than a lean-to. We had a single room, carpeted with stray blankets and burlap, and furnished with a single rickety table and a few stools, with a hole in one wall that we lovingly called our window, and another larger hole that functioned as our door. Mumma always stayed home now, and like always she was laying against the wall, shivering and cocooned in cloth. For the first time, I ran ahead leaving the man at the doorway to kneel next to her. Taking her hand as I did every day to wake her up, I gently rubbed blood back through her fingers. Her hand was cold, and her body was thin and pale, but like always she greeted me with a weak smile and hugged me as close as she could. “It’s good to see you again little one. Did you have a nice day?” “Yes Mumma, everything went well today. There’s somebody here who wants to talk to you.” “Oh?” She looked up and saw the man still standing in the doorway. “All right, can you help me up to the table?” I nodded, and after getting an arm under her bony shoulders, helped her stagger onto her feet. Then, with one arm to balance her, we took tiny steps over to the table. Only when she was actually sitting down did I dart back to her cocoon for a blanket to wrap around her shoulders. “Please,” she said, gesturing to the man, suddenly sounding much more formal, “have a seat.” “Thank you madam,” he said, slowly taking a seat as if afraid to dirty himself. “Would it be possible to speak in private?” “Of course.” She turned to me before containing, “Could you go shake the blankets out outside? I’ll call you back in when we’re finished.” I nodded and began to gather as many blankets as I could carry before leaving the house. Shaking blankets was one of those necessary, mindless tasks. There was a frame amid all the houses used for such a purpose. Blankets would be fastened to it upside down, and then someone would hold the other hand, and literally shake the dirt and Mitin out. There was no real thought process to work like this, and as such my mind began to wander back to my home. What could they be talking about? What was so earth-shatteringly important that Mumma would actually send me out of the house? Was she trying to be respectful to his man, or was there another reason? Scenario after scenario played themselves out in my head, everything from this man turning out to be a doctor, here to save Mumma to him coming to arrest my brothers for thievery (as there had been many close calls in the past). Nowhere did I imagine that I would be part of this story. I was a dancer, a beggar and a street urchin, nothing more. I would dance and survive, and someday fade into the dust without another sound, just as it should be. There was nothing special about me, so why make something more than it is. By the time I heard Mumma calling me back home, I’d long since finished shaking and folding the wad of blankets I’d brought along with me. The dirt was littered with the outlines of flowers and clouds, shakily drawn in my boredom, but I ran through my sketches without hesitation at the sound of her voice. Than man must finally be done with whatever he had wanted to do, and Mumma and I could spend the rest of the night together, but upon reentering my home, I realized something had shifted, something I couldn’t set right. Physically, the room was exactly the same as I had left it; Mumma and the man were still sitting on their stools by the table and the boys hadn’t come home yet. In a sense though, the room felt smaller and darker. She looked somehow shrunken, diminished and defeated on her stool. Immediately, I threw the blankets off to the side and ran over to her, cold chills raking my bones. Never had I ever seen her look like this before; not when we’d gotten sick or came home without coin; not when the boys had arrived and we realized the challenge of feeding two more mouths; not even when the boys had been escorted home by soldiers in the dead of night. It was not a sense of fear or worry, daydreaming or sickness. It was nothing less than utter defeat and shock, and only when I was right beside her did she seem to realize I’d actually come home. “Mumma?” My hand shook as I reached for her, needing her back. “Mumma what’s wrong?” In response, she grabbed my hand with both of hers, and holding it very tightly stuttered, “Melody, oh Melody, you know I love you very much.” “Mumma, what’s going on? What’s happened?” I asked, fumbling in the darkness for an answer, tears starting to sting my eyes in anticipation of this catastrophic news. “You’ll be going home with Lord Valdovas here today.” “Just to work right?” I said, trying to reason with myself more than accept what she was saying, “I’ll go and work at his home and come back to you right Mumma? I’ll be home again soon right?” The small, defeated shake of her head all but brought the world crumbling down around me. “No. Mumma no! I don’t want to leave you! Please –“ I tried to get my hands free, to hold on to her and never let go, but she held fast, meeting my gaze with fierce, bloodshot eyes. “Melody, Melody listen to me. I love you very much, no Melody I do. I really do. I love you and I want to be with you until the day I die, but this is the only life I can give you. He can give you a better life than I’ll ever be able to.” She swallowed while tears began to resurface in her eyes, “Please baby, I don’t want to see you die down here.” “Mumma.” This time she didn’t stop me because this time she knew there was no argument I could make. This hug wasn’t desperate; I wasn’t clinging to her as if my life depended on it. Rather, it seemed the only way I could say anything while my voice didn’t want to work; caught in my throat like I’d tried to swallow two dozen stones in one go. “I’ve arranged to have your family compensated for your absence young miss,” the man, Lord Valdovas I think his name was, said. “I have my coach waiting nearby, shall we depart?”

Spoiler:Bonus Chapters - Melody 1

“Why do you dance little one?” “I have to.” Those three words were stronger than I could have ever imagined at the time. For months upon years, I’d chosen that same street corner to step and to spin to the music of a friendly old busker, just a half a block away. It hadn’t been my fault, that I was forced to dance for whatever coin fell from the pockets of the wealthy. It was a cruel world; with strict rules and dire penalties should they be broken. In Kataya, but especially here in the Central Kingdom, everyone knew that Clanblood does not mix. Anyone born between clans was immediately written off as trash, and cast off to join the dregs of the city, as was the case with my mother. From what I understood, she was born to parents from both the Central and Western Kingdoms, and was subsequently thrown away, unable to work and barely able to live. Many times, I wanted to hate her for what she did, providing that service only a desperate woman could, she not only survived, but brought me and my twin brothers into the slums of Rubika, a second generation cur. Even being treated as thus by most of the Rubikan Aristocrats, I could at least take pride that my coin had been earned honestly, quite unlike my sticky-fingered younger sibs. Mama never minded; she was happy that we had bread in our hands – that we could survive on our own if anything was ever to happen to her. So I continued to dance, day in and day out smiling and spinning. In a way, it had been enjoyable. The music really was lovely (I’d always shared part of my coin with that wonderful old man), and though our life wasn’t always easy, it was simple and most of the time it was fairly comfortable. We didn’t have beds of feathers or fluff, but we had a roof over our heads and each other for company. That is, until he came. I’d seen the man around many times before, riding around town in that big shiny black carriage, but he almost always stopped and looked, though he never shed a single coin. It was that look; that hunger in his eyes that drove fear into my heart. Why would he stop every time he passed, and why would he stare like that? Under that gaze, I was nothing more than a tangled up puppet, stumbling over my own feet and nearly spilling my tin of the day’s work. Most days I imagine he would laugh and continue with whatever it was that Lords did in this town, but something felt off. The carriage had pulled away out of sight, but something still nagged in the back of my mind. I should have known he was still there. Knots that had formed in my stomach when I’d seen him didn’t go away. Hair pricked on the back of my neck and arms, and no matter what I told myself, there was a constant sense that I was being hunted. In a sense, I was more than right. As dusk was falling and I was picking off my last few coins for the night, I was approached by someone I could only assume was the man from the carriage. I’d never seen him outside that rolling black box before, but now he was walking towards me; a very large, very tall, tawny-haired man that made me skin crawl. No matter how much coin he had in his pockets, I wanted to be home, right now, before he could take another step. Though I wasn’t quick enough to get all the way home, I had gathered my keep for the day before he was standing over me. Under his gaze my face burned, and my skin wanted to crawl off my bones. “Yes sir?” I asked, keeping my head down, whether in fear or embarrassment, or some sick mixture of the two I had no idea. “You dance very well young lady. Are you out here all by yourself, or do you live with your parents?” He asked with a voice that I might have considered strong or reassuring if I hadn’t been ready to jump out of my skin. “Just my mother, sir.” I responded, legs starting to visibly shake and knock together. “I would like to meet her.” Where on earth could he be going with this? Either way, I was in no position to refuse, “Okay, I can take you there.” He nodded, and I turned and started to walk home. In truth, I really didn’t live that far away, but now I had to walk slowly; I had a guest and had to accommodate for him. Like Mumma had always told me, we had to give respect if we were going to get any back, so I walked slowly so he would have no problems following me. In my slum, it would have been more than easy to lose him, especially with the route I usually took, but I had to stay slow, and stay to the road as long as I could. He wanted to meet Mumma, so I would take him there, and then he’d leave us alone. Everyone always did. Our house, like most of the others around was little more sophisticated than a lean-to. We had a single room, carpeted with stray blankets and burlap, and furnished with a single rickety table and a few stools, with a hole in one wall that we lovingly called our window, and another larger hole that functioned as our door. Mumma always stayed home now, and like always she was laying against the wall, shivering and cocooned in cloth. For the first time, I ran ahead leaving the man at the doorway to kneel next to her. Taking her hand as I did every day to wake her up, I gently rubbed blood back through her fingers. Her hand was cold, and her body was thin and pale, but like always she greeted me with a weak smile and hugged me as close as she could. “It’s good to see you again little one. Did you have a nice day?” “Yes Mumma, everything went well today. There’s somebody here who wants to talk to you.” “Oh?” She looked up and saw the man still standing in the doorway. “All right, can you help me up to the table?” I nodded, and after getting an arm under her bony shoulders, helped her stagger onto her feet. Then, with one arm to balance her, we took tiny steps over to the table. Only when she was actually sitting down did I dart back to her cocoon for a blanket to wrap around her shoulders. “Please,” she said, gesturing to the man, suddenly sounding much more formal, “have a seat.” “Thank you madam,” he said, slowly taking a seat as if afraid to dirty himself. “Would it be possible to speak in private?” “Of course.” She turned to me before containing, “Could you go shake the blankets out outside? I’ll call you back in when we’re finished.” I nodded and began to gather as many blankets as I could carry before leaving the house. Shaking blankets was one of those necessary, mindless tasks. There was a frame amid all the houses used for such a purpose. Blankets would be fastened to it upside down, and then someone would hold the other hand, and literally shake the dirt and Mitin out. There was no real thought process to work like this, and as such my mind began to wander back to my home. What could they be talking about? What was so earth-shatteringly important that Mumma would actually send me out of the house? Was she trying to be respectful to his man, or was there another reason? Scenario after scenario played themselves out in my head, everything from this man turning out to be a doctor, here to save Mumma to him coming to arrest my brothers for thievery (as there had been many close calls in the past). Nowhere did I imagine that I would be part of this story. I was a dancer, a beggar and a street urchin, nothing more. I would dance and survive, and someday fade into the dust without another sound, just as it should be. There was nothing special about me, so why make something more than it is. By the time I heard Mumma calling me back home, I’d long since finished shaking and folding the wad of blankets I’d brought along with me. The dirt was littered with the outlines of flowers and clouds, shakily drawn in my boredom, but I ran through my sketches without hesitation at the sound of her voice. Than man must finally be done with whatever he had wanted to do, and Mumma and I could spend the rest of the night together, but upon reentering my home, I realized something had shifted, something I couldn’t set right. Physically, the room was exactly the same as I had left it; Mumma and the man were still sitting on their stools by the table and the boys hadn’t come home yet. In a sense though, the room felt smaller and darker. She looked somehow shrunken, diminished and defeated on her stool. Immediately, I threw the blankets off to the side and ran over to her, cold chills raking my bones. Never had I ever seen her look like this before; not when we’d gotten sick or came home without coin; not when the boys had arrived and we realized the challenge of feeding two more mouths; not even when the boys had been escorted home by soldiers in the dead of night. It was not a sense of fear or worry, daydreaming or sickness. It was nothing less than utter defeat and shock, and only when I was right beside her did she seem to realize I’d actually come home. “Mumma?” My hand shook as I reached for her, needing her back. “Mumma what’s wrong?” In response, she grabbed my hand with both of hers, and holding it very tightly stuttered, “Melody, oh Melody, you know I love you very much.” “Mumma, what’s going on? What’s happened?” I asked, fumbling in the darkness for an answer, tears starting to sting my eyes in anticipation of this catastrophic news. “You’ll be going home with Lord Valdovas here today.” “Just to work right?” I said, trying to reason with myself more than accept what she was saying, “I’ll go and work at his home and come back to you right Mumma? I’ll be home again soon right?” The small, defeated shake of her head all but brought the world crumbling down around me. “No. Mumma no! I don’t want to leave you! Please –“ I tried to get my hands free, to hold on to her and never let go, but she held fast, meeting my gaze with fierce, bloodshot eyes. “Melody, Melody listen to me. I love you very much, no Melody I do. I really do. I love you and I want to be with you until the day I die, but this is the only life I can give you. He can give you a better life than I’ll ever be able to.” She swallowed while tears began to resurface in her eyes, “Please baby, I don’t want to see you die down here.” “Mumma.” This time she didn’t stop me because this time she knew there was no argument I could make. This hug wasn’t desperate; I wasn’t clinging to her as if my life depended on it. Rather, it seemed the only way I could say anything while my voice didn’t want to work; caught in my throat like I’d tried to swallow two dozen stones in one go. “I’ve arranged to have your family compensated for your absence young miss,” the man, Lord Valdovas I think his name was, said. “I have my coach waiting nearby, shall we depart?”

As I was advised while writing this: warning - there is the use of Alcohol in this chapter.

Might have a bonus chapter up later tonight, haven't really decided yet.

Spoiler:Chapter 33 - The Old Towne Inn

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.“Dear Gods, could that be Mahin?” I knew that voice, I knew it but hadn’t heard it in months; but here in this bar it would have been impossible to pick anyone out. “Hoooi!” There she was, standing on a chair across the room, blatantly waving her hand and staff above her head. Slowly, trying not to bump into anyone as the inn lobby I’d been dropped off at was full to burst; I made my over to one of my old friends from the academy. It wasn’t like I could have ducked out of there, with her making absolutely sure I’d seen her, so I dropped into the seat opposite Alise. Hailing from Maiti Island, the Clan of the Wave Runners, Alise was about as tough as they came, with enough muscle to get mistaken for a man in about half the region. Her attitude only enforced the fact. Like most Rangers, she (obviously) had not been assigned to her homeclan, but instead sent somewhere where her temperament wouldn’t serve as a handicap like it had back home, but as an asset. In the Clan of the Wave Runners, most were disciplined to the point of near-insanity, willing and more than able to take a ship into some of the deadliest storms of the ocean and come back with the biggest hauls anyone’d ever seen. Alise, in a lot of ways, was a near perfect counter. Aside from having more than a bit of an attitude, and a sheer dislike of manual labor, she’d also had enough of an ego to severely piss off all her crewmates before moving to the Ranger Academy. It wasn’t like she was this narcissistic little b*tch, it was just that her temperament didn’t match her clan all that well. We’d been in Pyry’s class together for two rotations, and she’d made it bearable, if not occasionally enjoyable (despite Pyry’s apparent grudge against me). “Ah, it’s good to see you again lassie. Thought I’d never see ya out of that ol’ school. Megda!” She turned and called to the barista, “Two more rounds if you please!” and she turned back to me, “but what in blazes are you doing out here? I was sure you’d end up out in Moran, or somewhere covered in those godforsaken trees.” I couldn’t help laughing a bit there. Ages ago, I’d tried to teach her how to climb trees like I did; but in no less than a half hour, she’d fallen at least a dozen times. Some people just weren’t built for branches, but for Alise that was a gross understatement. “Bahme had me stay at the school a bit longer, to help with the new students.” “Musta had a huge crop of nippers this year, but Bahme always had a soft spot for ya.” “Apparently, but what’s work out here been like?” “So very much different than what we’re trained for.” “Really?” “Oh yes. The thing is, with half this Clan being farmland and the rest being settled into little villages, there isn’t a big problem with wild Pokemon. Naw, most of the trouble comes from the people, not the little pests.” I was starting to see where this is going, “So, you just sit around here all night? Shouldn’t you be out in the fields? What if something were to happen?” “You really don’t get how few of us are really left after the conscriptions do you?” “Well, uh, no. Not especially.” “Let’s just say there’s too few of us to actually make a patrol effective in any way whatsoever. If there really was a problem, and the lot of us were out in the fields, who’d actually know where we were? If we can’t be found, we’re no use at all, so better to stay somewhere anyone could find us. Ah, thank you love.” The barista, Megda I assume, had made her way through the tables with two tankards in her hands. Copper-headed and well-endowed, she smiled brilliantly as she passed the drink to Alise. “Dear Gods girl, I’ve rarely seen a man down as much as you!” She said, teasing her for a moment with the last cup. “They just don’t have the stomach for it.” “I suppose,” she said, trailing off, still hanging onto that second drink. “Just give her the drink Megda,” Alise said, half gesturing with her shoulder towards me, “No reason to down two at once.” “Finally a scrap of reason; here ya go little one, drink up.” Wordlessly, I took the mug from Megda, swirling the unfamiliar contents around. I’d never seen a drink like it before, dark brown like mud with an oddly bitter smell. “Alise?” “Hmm?” she answered, face now slightly flushed, still sipping out of her cup. “What exactly is this stuff?” “This, oh well, I suppose it’s sugar-water.” “You are a horrible liar.” “Bah! Names don’t matter; it’s amazing! Come on Mahin,” she whined, nudging me repeatedly. “Fine, you little brat,” I said, taking a sip of the drink. It was bitter as the smell had suggested, but not altogether unpleasant. There were other flavors too, honey for sure, and something fruity I just couldn’t place. If this stuff was made here, it would make sense; as crops grown here were probably much different than anything I’d ever had before. The drink hadn’t been warm, there was a certain heat spreading through my body. This is nice, it really doesn’t taste all that bad, and it feels amazing! No such thing as too much, except the fact that the room was dancing around me by the time the mug was empty. “What was that stuff Alise?” “Bloody brilliant right? I take it you’ve never had rum before lassie, but it grows on ya and fast.” “So I’ve guessed, so what now ‘Lady’ Alise?” “Yeah, you’ve never had rum before,” she whispered to herself; though I was too busy clumsily playing with the empty tankard to pay her much mind. Even after I dropped it a few times, it was still so shiny, cold, and smooth in my hands. “Whoops!” The slimy little bugger slid out of my fingers again, clattering loudly on the floor. “Careful hun,” Alise said, pulling my shoulders back before I’d wacked my head on the table trying to retrieve the shiny. “Sorry,” the word danced out of my mouth, stretching and bouncing along its merry way. “You’re still such a kid.” She paused, as something between a thunk and a crash sounded from the other side of the swimming sea of people. “Stay here for a sec.” “Why,” it came out as more of a whine than a question, but Alise had vanished into thin air. “Alise?” Oh no, where’d she go. Did she leave me here all alone? I didn’t know where I was or who any of these people were, no matter how many times I saw the same face. “Alise!” She couldn’t have gotten far, maybe I could still catch up. Ow, where did that table come from? There was a person there? Oops, there was another one; I could have sworn he was a few more feet to the right. Whoa! Who were those people? Why were they hugging? No, that wasn’t quite right… hey! That guy just hit the other guy! Why’d he do that? Haha! That guy just fell on his face! “Loser!” I called, adding my voice to the din. “Loser! Get up! Hit ‘im back!” The crowd around me was just as excited as I was, screaming and hollering as someone else entered the fray. Whoever they were, they seemed to be winning the fight, tossing the men flat on their backs, before picking them up again and throwing them into the wall. Finally, they were again picked up, and thrown, literally thrown out the door on to the street. “Yeah!” I cheered along with the roar of the crowd around me, until I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Hey! Oh, Alise? Where’d you come from?” “Are you serious?” “Hey, did you just see that fight? It was so cool! That that one guy-“ “All right, come on missy, someone needs a long sleep far away from anyone else.” She said, taking me by the wrist and pulling me out into the street. All right, time for an adventure!

Spoiler:Chapter 33 - The Old Towne Inn

“Dear Gods, could that be Mahin?” I knew that voice, I knew it but hadn’t heard it in months; but here in this bar it would have been impossible to pick anyone out. “Hoooi!” There she was, standing on a chair across the room, blatantly waving her hand and staff above her head. Slowly, trying not to bump into anyone as the inn lobby I’d been dropped off at was full to burst; I made my over to one of my old friends from the academy. It wasn’t like I could have ducked out of there, with her making absolutely sure I’d seen her, so I dropped into the seat opposite Alise. Hailing from Maiti Island, the Clan of the Wave Runners, Alise was about as tough as they came, with enough muscle to get mistaken for a man in about half the region. Her attitude only enforced the fact. Like most Rangers, she (obviously) had not been assigned to her homeclan, but instead sent somewhere where her temperament wouldn’t serve as a handicap like it had back home, but as an asset. In the Clan of the Wave Runners, most were disciplined to the point of near-insanity, willing and more than able to take a ship into some of the deadliest storms of the ocean and come back with the biggest hauls anyone’d ever seen. Alise, in a lot of ways, was a near perfect counter. Aside from having more than a bit of an attitude, and a sheer dislike of manual labor, she’d also had enough of an ego to severely piss off all her crewmates before moving to the Ranger Academy. It wasn’t like she was this narcissistic little b*tch, it was just that her temperament didn’t match her clan all that well. We’d been in Pyry’s class together for two rotations, and she’d made it bearable, if not occasionally enjoyable (despite Pyry’s apparent grudge against me). “Ah, it’s good to see you again lassie. Thought I’d never see ya out of that ol’ school. Megda!” She turned and called to the barista, “Two more rounds if you please!” and she turned back to me, “but what in blazes are you doing out here? I was sure you’d end up out in Moran, or somewhere covered in those godforsaken trees.” I couldn’t help laughing a bit there. Ages ago, I’d tried to teach her how to climb trees like I did; but in no less than a half hour, she’d fallen at least a dozen times. Some people just weren’t built for branches, but for Alise that was a gross understatement. “Bahme had me stay at the school a bit longer, to help with the new students.” “Musta had a huge crop of nippers this year, but Bahme always had a soft spot for ya.” “Apparently, but what’s work out here been like?” “So very much different than what we’re trained for.” “Really?” “Oh yes. The thing is, with half this Clan being farmland and the rest being settled into little villages, there isn’t a big problem with wild Pokemon. Naw, most of the trouble comes from the people, not the little pests.” I was starting to see where this is going, “So, you just sit around here all night? Shouldn’t you be out in the fields? What if something were to happen?” “You really don’t get how few of us are really left after the conscriptions do you?” “Well, uh, no. Not especially.” “Let’s just say there’s too few of us to actually make a patrol effective in any way whatsoever. If there really was a problem, and the lot of us were out in the fields, who’d actually know where we were? If we can’t be found, we’re no use at all, so better to stay somewhere anyone could find us. Ah, thank you love.” The barista, Megda I assume, had made her way through the tables with two tankards in her hands. Copper-headed and well-endowed, she smiled brilliantly as she passed the drink to Alise. “Dear Gods girl, I’ve rarely seen a man down as much as you!” She said, teasing her for a moment with the last cup. “They just don’t have the stomach for it.” “I suppose,” she said, trailing off, still hanging onto that second drink. “Just give her the drink Megda,” Alise said, half gesturing with her shoulder towards me, “No reason to down two at once.” “Finally a scrap of reason; here ya go little one, drink up.” Wordlessly, I took the mug from Megda, swirling the unfamiliar contents around. I’d never seen a drink like it before, dark brown like mud with an oddly bitter smell. “Alise?” “Hmm?” she answered, face now slightly flushed, still sipping out of her cup. “What exactly is this stuff?” “This, oh well, I suppose it’s sugar-water.” “You are a horrible liar.” “Bah! Names don’t matter; it’s amazing! Come on Mahin,” she whined, nudging me repeatedly. “Fine, you little brat,” I said, taking a sip of the drink. It was bitter as the smell had suggested, but not altogether unpleasant. There were other flavors too, honey for sure, and something fruity I just couldn’t place. If this stuff was made here, it would make sense; as crops grown here were probably much different than anything I’d ever had before. The drink hadn’t been warm, there was a certain heat spreading through my body. This is nice, it really doesn’t taste all that bad, and it feels amazing! No such thing as too much, except the fact that the room was dancing around me by the time the mug was empty. “What was that stuff Alise?” “Bloody brilliant right? I take it you’ve never had rum before lassie, but it grows on ya and fast.” “So I’ve guessed, so what now ‘Lady’ Alise?” “Yeah, you’ve never had rum before,” she whispered to herself; though I was too busy clumsily playing with the empty tankard to pay her much mind. Even after I dropped it a few times, it was still so shiny, cold, and smooth in my hands. “Whoops!” The slimy little bugger slid out of my fingers again, clattering loudly on the floor. “Careful hun,” Alise said, pulling my shoulders back before I’d wacked my head on the table trying to retrieve the shiny. “Sorry,” the word danced out of my mouth, stretching and bouncing along its merry way. “You’re still such a kid.” She paused, as something between a thunk and a crash sounded from the other side of the swimming sea of people. “Stay here for a sec.” “Why,” it came out as more of a whine than a question, but Alise had vanished into thin air. “Alise?” Oh no, where’d she go. Did she leave me here all alone? I didn’t know where I was or who any of these people were, no matter how many times I saw the same face. “Alise!” She couldn’t have gotten far, maybe I could still catch up. Ow, where did that table come from? There was a person there? Oops, there was another one; I could have sworn he was a few more feet to the right. Whoa! Who were those people? Why were they hugging? No, that wasn’t quite right… hey! That guy just hit the other guy! Why’d he do that? Haha! That guy just fell on his face! “Loser!” I called, adding my voice to the din. “Loser! Get up! Hit ‘im back!” The crowd around me was just as excited as I was, screaming and hollering as someone else entered the fray. Whoever they were, they seemed to be winning the fight, tossing the men flat on their backs, before picking them up again and throwing them into the wall. Finally, they were again picked up, and thrown, literally thrown out the door on to the street. “Yeah!” I cheered along with the roar of the crowd around me, until I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Hey! Oh, Alise? Where’d you come from?” “Are you serious?” “Hey, did you just see that fight? It was so cool! That that one guy-“ “All right, come on missy, someone needs a long sleep far away from anyone else.” She said, taking me by the wrist and pulling me out into the street. All right, time for an adventure!

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.Alise in her own right, handled herself very well after drinking. She’d clearly had more than me, but somehow she retained enough common sense to take me out of the bar straight away, but as soon as we were back in the cool night air, she turned to me and asked, “Do you know where the Inn is?” “Uhhh… isn’t that where we just were?” That had been an Inn, hadn’t it? “No, I mean, what? Why would we leave the Inn?” “I have no idea, I thought you were leading.” “Was I?” “I don’t know this town, at all you silly you.” “I suppose, then where would the Inn be?” “No idea “lassie”” I said, trying to imitate her way of speaking, “why don’t we go looking around?” So we went off, tottering down the alley. In theory, we were looking for a place to lay our heads, though personally I would never have been able to read any of the signs, let alone manage enough money to rent a room. If Alise was faring better than I was, she wasn’t showing it well. More often than not we were stumbling into each other or into the walls of buildings on either side. Was it normal for all these streets to look exactly the same, or were we wandering the same path over and over? “Hey!” I started, one of the posters on the wall catching my eye, “Look Alise, its me!” “What? Lemme see!” “No!” I half shouted, half pouted, “I found it. It’s mine!” “Mahin! Let me see it!” “No!” I cried, pulling the paper off the wall, and started running away. “Get back here!” She was chasing me, I was sure of it; but the poster was mine. I found it, and it had my picture on it. Why would she want it anyway? There hadn’t been one of her. “Ow!” I cried out, something very heavy landing on my back. “Shouldn’t have tried to run missy,” it was Alise, she’d caught up to me! “Now let me see it like a good girl okay?” “No! It’s mine, I- hey!” She’d started pulling the paper out from between my fingers. There was no real thought process, I just tried to hold onto it for dear life. In return, the paper tore right in half, leaving me with most of my face, and not much else. “Mahin-“ “Give it back already, it’s not yours!” “Is this true?” “Is what true?” “Did you really attack the school?” “Of course not! They-” “Did you attack the Tribal Chief too?” “I – no way. Why would you-“My blood might as well have turned to ice; wanted posters already? “Then why does it say that?” “I don’t-“ “Why the h*ll does it say that Mahin!” “I don’t know! I swear I don’t-“ “Don’t f*ck*ng lie! Mahin, I know you didn’t like Pyry, I know that! But that is no f*ck*ng reason to turn your back on everything!” “That’s not, it isn’t like that!” I said, starting to cry as her knee started digging in between in shoulders. “Then explain, right now,” she growled, all friendly demeanor completely gone by now, “before I call the soldiers.” “I-“ but my voice caught in my throat. Aside from the miswording of attacking the school (I’d attacked that monster of a Penebrae – and we were nearly off the grounds by that point anyway), it was true. I had attacked the Clan Chief; I regretted it, but I had done it. “Answer me!” She was getting more and more manic by the second, but before I could open my mouth again, a certain clarity entered my mind, pushing aside the fog left behind by the rum.Honestly, you can’t do anything on your own can you BrightEyes? “What are you-“I started, meant as a question to Rodromus more than an answer to Alise. “That isn’t an answer.” I didn’t get a chance to give her one. Charging down the alley ran my only ally and friend in all this madness, my wonderful Rodromus. How he knew exactly where I would be was anyone’s guess, but I was more than grateful that he did. In one motion, he’d bashed into Alise, sending her rolling across the stone alleyway and crashing into the side of a building. Immediately I got up, still relishing in this new and sudden clarity, though it was starting to fade already.Get on and hold on tight, I can only keep your head clean for so long! He didn’t have to tell me twice. As luck would have it, I hadn’t actually unsaddled him since our last ride (a problem I’d have to fix next time we rested), so I was able to strap in with relative ease. Now, whether asleep or out of my mind, it would take something pretty powerful to pull me from his back. We had to leave now; there was just no other choice. Aside from the fact that Alise knew almost exactly what was going on, the sound of Rodromus’ attack would be sure to draw the attention of any soldiers in the area. It was time for the road to become my home again.

Spoiler:Chapter 34 - Wanted!

Alise in her own right, handled herself very well after drinking. She’d clearly had more than me, but somehow she retained enough common sense to take me out of the bar straight away, but as soon as we were back in the cool night air, she turned to me and asked, “Do you know where the Inn is?” “Uhhh… isn’t that where we just were?” That had been an Inn, hadn’t it? “No, I mean, what? Why would we leave the Inn?” “I have no idea, I thought you were leading.” “Was I?” “I don’t know this town, at all you silly you.” “I suppose, then where would the Inn be?” “No idea “lassie”” I said, trying to imitate her way of speaking, “why don’t we go looking around?” So we went off, tottering down the alley. In theory, we were looking for a place to lay our heads, though personally I would never have been able to read any of the signs, let alone manage enough money to rent a room. If Alise was faring better than I was, she wasn’t showing it well. More often than not we were stumbling into each other or into the walls of buildings on either side. Was it normal for all these streets to look exactly the same, or were we wandering the same path over and over? “Hey!” I started, one of the posters on the wall catching my eye, “Look Alise, its me!” “What? Lemme see!” “No!” I half shouted, half pouted, “I found it. It’s mine!” “Mahin! Let me see it!” “No!” I cried, pulling the paper off the wall, and started running away. “Get back here!” She was chasing me, I was sure of it; but the poster was mine. I found it, and it had my picture on it. Why would she want it anyway? There hadn’t been one of her. “Ow!” I cried out, something very heavy landing on my back. “Shouldn’t have tried to run missy,” it was Alise, she’d caught up to me! “Now let me see it like a good girl okay?” “No! It’s mine, I- hey!” She’d started pulling the paper out from between my fingers. There was no real thought process, I just tried to hold onto it for dear life. In return, the paper tore right in half, leaving me with most of my face, and not much else. “Mahin-“ “Give it back already, it’s not yours!” “Is this true?” “Is what true?” “Did you really attack the school?” “Of course not! They-” “Did you attack the Tribal Chief too?” “I – no way. Why would you-“My blood might as well have turned to ice; wanted posters already? “Then why does it say that?” “I don’t-“ “Why the h*ll does it say that Mahin!” “I don’t know! I swear I don’t-“ “Don’t f*ck*ng lie! Mahin, I know you didn’t like Pyry, I know that! But that is no f*ck*ng reason to turn your back on everything!” “That’s not, it isn’t like that!” I said, starting to cry as her knee started digging in between in shoulders. “Then explain, right now,” she growled, all friendly demeanor completely gone by now, “before I call the soldiers.” “I-“ but my voice caught in my throat. Aside from the miswording of attacking the school (I’d attacked that monster of a Penebrae – and we were nearly off the grounds by that point anyway), it was true. I had attacked the Clan Chief; I regretted it, but I had done it. “Answer me!” She was getting more and more manic by the second, but before I could open my mouth again, a certain clarity entered my mind, pushing aside the fog left behind by the rum.Honestly, you can’t do anything on your own can you BrightEyes? “What are you-“I started, meant as a question to Rodromus more than an answer to Alise. “That isn’t an answer.” I didn’t get a chance to give her one. Charging down the alley ran my only ally and friend in all this madness, my wonderful Rodromus. How he knew exactly where I would be was anyone’s guess, but I was more than grateful that he did. In one motion, he’d bashed into Alise, sending her rolling across the stone alleyway and crashing into the side of a building. Immediately I got up, still relishing in this new and sudden clarity, though it was starting to fade already.Get on and hold on tight, I can only keep your head clean for so long! He didn’t have to tell me twice. As luck would have it, I hadn’t actually unsaddled him since our last ride (a problem I’d have to fix next time we rested), so I was able to strap in with relative ease. Now, whether asleep or out of my mind, it would take something pretty powerful to pull me from his back. We had to leave now; there was just no other choice. Aside from the fact that Alise knew almost exactly what was going on, the sound of Rodromus’ attack would be sure to draw the attention of any soldiers in the area. It was time for the road to become my home again.

I feel like I'm getting too close to crossing too many lines in this story :/

Spoiler:Melody 2

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.I gave my mother one last, tight squeeze, and then stood wiping my face as clean as I could. He took my hand and led me out of the house. There it was, that big shiny black carriage I’d seen riding past day after day; and now I was going to ride in it. Once upon a time the idea would have excited me, to get to ride around town like one of the citizens who acted like I was worth less than the dirt on their shoes. Now however, I’d rather be curled up in that heap of ratty blankets with my mother and brothers around me. Maybe this would be better. Would whatever compensation Lord Valdovas was offering be enough to stop them from resorting to stealing? Would it be enough to get Mumma the help she needed to be healthy again? If it made things better, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Still, I didn’t know this man at all. Throughout the entire ride home I sat opposite him on shiny black leather seats, not speaking and barely moving. I couldn’t look up at him, not now, not while he was watching me. Why did he keep looking at me like that? Why didn’t he say anything? Surely he wasn’t as embarrassed about this situation as I was, after all, he’d been the one to start all of this. He could have walked away at any moment, pretended there was a mistake or something, but instead here I was, awkwardly staring at the floor as we trundled down the street. “This,” he said, taking my hand to help me out of the carriage, “is my home; yours now too. You will not leave without permission and an escort. Do you understand?” “Yes sir” I whispered, voice nearly catching in my throat, starting to realize what this situation was really going to be. He didn’t let go on my hand until we were inside those great front doors of his, well, house just didn’t feel like the right word. The entry hall alone looked like it could have fit a hundred people, and was elaborate enough to impress each and every one of them. Colors of a thousand flowers decorated the rug at our feet while the walls were inlaid with beautiful gold and silver filigree, swirling and swooping up to the ceiling. Even the windows, clearer than any water I’d ever had to drink, exuded an air of elegance. I didn’t even want to move further inside. Everything I was and everything I owned was covered in dirt and street scum. Things here were so pristine, so unfathomably clean; it seemed like anything I did would make something worse. “Come,” he said, this time taking me by the arm and pulling me onward. Every room he led me through was just as fancy as the foyer, if not more so. First was a room larger than the first, furnished beautifully with a large space in the center left wide open. A space that large probably could have fit my entire home, my old home, easily inside. The next was also mostly open; a few lamps and a great chandelier occupied the ceiling while an impressive and highly decorative staircase extended into the room. He seemed to ignore it, and continued to drag me along this misguided tour of the mansion. The rooms seemed endless, each filled with grandeur, each completely spotless, though each uninhabited. That is, until he took me up a hidden, spiral staircase. This seemed to be where the bedrooms were, isolated from the rest of the house. It seemed fitting, as guests really had no need to come here, and it should offer some degree of privacy. Here, there were assembled three young women and two young men (all several years older than I was), each dressed in a simple and clean uniform. Upon seeing our arrival, they all picked themselves up off the floor (where they had been sitting, playing some sort of game I assume), and arranged themselves in a line in front of Valdovas. “These,” he said, “are the servants here; Aleinor, Hesodei, Lellian, Ranstad and Fushaw. They are here to assist you.” Assist me? Wasn’t I supposed to be joining them? “Have you prepared her bed yet?” “Yes sir,” one of the girls answered, “I can take you there now, if you’d like sir.” “Lead on.” He replied, following her down the hallway, still keeping a tight hold on my arm. The room she brought us to was nearly at the end of the hallway, and all though it was smaller than any of the rooms downstairs; it still held far more grandeur than I had ever dreamed of being able to call my own. A large, impeccably clean and simple rug stretched to all corners of the room. Sitting on top of it was a bed, held off the ground by a beautifully polished wooden bedframe; and a small table, made of a similar wood. Brass candle brackets were bolted to the wall around the room, so as to provide light even when the sun had already set. “You will stay here unless I tell you otherwise. This is your bedroom.” Lord Valdovas said, slightly pushing me into the room. “The washroom is directly across the hall, you can go there as needed. Do you understand?” “Yes sir, thank you.” With that he left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving me in the room with the one servant girl. “I’m sorry; I didn’t catch your name.” “I’m Hesodei, Aleinor has longer hair than I do, and Lellian has darker eyes than either of us. The boys look exactly the same and we can never tell them apart. Why don’t we get you settled in, bet this has been a bit of a shock.” “Yes, I um, I,” “Have no idea what’s going on? That’s completely okay; I can’t imagine anyone who’d just been moved could get settled into something new so quickly. Now, did you bring anything with you?” “I, um, well, no. I don’t exactly have anything.” I had to look down at the floor, knowing the look I’d surely be getting; the look from superior to inferior, from those who had enough to those who barely had. I’d gotten the same look day after day dancing on the street. Instead, she just smiled, “It’s a good thing you’re here then. Valdovas will be able to take care of you, just like he takes care of us.” “What?” Takes care of them? How does a master take care of his underlings? “We all stay here. We work for our keep, but every little bit helps.” “Will I be working here, just like you?” “You know, I’m not really sure. He told us he’d be going out today, and to have a bed ready when he got back. Mind you, I didn’t expect him to bring back someone as pretty as you.” “What! I, uh-“ “Relax, that was a complement sweetheart. Why don’t we just get you cleaned up.” “Sounds great.” “Good, now where did that Merari get off to? Merari!” She called, whistling for the little water-cat. “There we go!” A little blue cat with purple fins along her face and tail came leaping up the hall, mewling loudly. “That’s a good little girl, can you help me with the tub? Thank you little one.” She led me across the hallway to the washroom. Compared to every other room, this had to be by far the most simple; but in a sense, it was closest to home (even though everything was still so foreign). The room was completely covered in tiles, floor to ceiling, with a pit sunken into the floor underneath a high window. There were no candle brackets here, no furniture, just the tiles and the sunken spot. The Merari ran into the room first, jumping right to the pit, and unleashed a stream of steaming water. Within a few minutes, the pit (which I’d only just realized was a bathtub) was filled with steaming water. “Wait a few minutes before stepping in all right?” Hesodei said, putting a towel down beside the tub, “it’s too hot right now.” “Thank you very much.” She smiled and left the room, pulling the little Marari into her arms, and closing the door behind her. A little tentatively, I started pulling off my dirty old rags, and piling them next to the tub. Was it still too hot? In truth, a bath was such a rarity out on the streets, let alone any source of hot water. Really, it was no wonder there were layers upon layers of dirt and street scum on my hands and feet. Maybe it had cooled down enough to slip in. Okay, it was still a little hot, but this was nice. Hot water; something about it felt comforting, like a warm blanket or Mumma’s hugs. Mumma, oh no, she was still back in the alley. Whether or not they were getting “compensated”, tonight would still be hard. I’d never spent a night away from her before, not for as long as I could remember. Even when I’d been sick, she’d been right there next to me all night. The boys too, they had to spend the night away from home before, but only one at a time after getting caught, but Mumma and I had always been there waiting for them. What would she do when they couldn’t come home anymore? Would the boys notice I was gone? Whispering more to myself, a couple words slipped out, “It’s gonna be okay, right Mumma? We’re going to make it through aren’t we?” At some point I must have drifted off. The sun had set outside the windows, and the water had really cooled off. This was the sort of bath I was used to; old, cold water. Unfortunately, this sort of bath also wasn’t exactly what I’d call pleasant. I found the towel that Hesodei had left for me, but someone had been in here, and had taken what was left of my clothes out with them. Oh well, a towel would be good enough to cross the hallway back to my room. Plus, being dry meant being warm again, and being warm was certainly something I could get used to. Besides, it was also soft, what other reason did I need to wrap the thing around me? It was a little tricky though; I couldn’t figure out how to make the thing stay on its own, so I had to awkwardly push the door open with my shoulder as my hands were completely occupied. Someone was waiting for me in the hallway. How had he known when I’d get out of the tub? Had he been waiting in the hall this whole time? “Sir?” I asked tentatively, slightly backing into the washroom again. “Now that you’re all cleaned up, why don’t you put your hands down and let me have a good look at you?”

Spoiler:Melody 2

I gave my mother one last, tight squeeze, and then stood wiping my face as clean as I could. He took my hand and led me out of the house. There it was, that big shiny black carriage I’d seen riding past day after day; and now I was going to ride in it. Once upon a time the idea would have excited me, to get to ride around town like one of the citizens who acted like I was worth less than the dirt on their shoes. Now however, I’d rather be curled up in that heap of ratty blankets with my mother and brothers around me. Maybe this would be better. Would whatever compensation Lord Valdovas was offering be enough to stop them from resorting to stealing? Would it be enough to get Mumma the help she needed to be healthy again? If it made things better, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Still, I didn’t know this man at all. Throughout the entire ride home I sat opposite him on shiny black leather seats, not speaking and barely moving. I couldn’t look up at him, not now, not while he was watching me. Why did he keep looking at me like that? Why didn’t he say anything? Surely he wasn’t as embarrassed about this situation as I was, after all, he’d been the one to start all of this. He could have walked away at any moment, pretended there was a mistake or something, but instead here I was, awkwardly staring at the floor as we trundled down the street. “This,” he said, taking my hand to help me out of the carriage, “is my home; yours now too. You will not leave without permission and an escort. Do you understand?” “Yes sir” I whispered, voice nearly catching in my throat, starting to realize what this situation was really going to be. He didn’t let go on my hand until we were inside those great front doors of his, well, house just didn’t feel like the right word. The entry hall alone looked like it could have fit a hundred people, and was elaborate enough to impress each and every one of them. Colors of a thousand flowers decorated the rug at our feet while the walls were inlaid with beautiful gold and silver filigree, swirling and swooping up to the ceiling. Even the windows, clearer than any water I’d ever had to drink, exuded an air of elegance. I didn’t even want to move further inside. Everything I was and everything I owned was covered in dirt and street scum. Things here were so pristine, so unfathomably clean; it seemed like anything I did would make something worse. “Come,” he said, this time taking me by the arm and pulling me onward. Every room he led me through was just as fancy as the foyer, if not more so. First was a room larger than the first, furnished beautifully with a large space in the center left wide open. A space that large probably could have fit my entire home, my old home, easily inside. The next was also mostly open; a few lamps and a great chandelier occupied the ceiling while an impressive and highly decorative staircase extended into the room. He seemed to ignore it, and continued to drag me along this misguided tour of the mansion. The rooms seemed endless, each filled with grandeur, each completely spotless, though each uninhabited. That is, until he took me up a hidden, spiral staircase. This seemed to be where the bedrooms were, isolated from the rest of the house. It seemed fitting, as guests really had no need to come here, and it should offer some degree of privacy. Here, there were assembled three young women and two young men (all several years older than I was), each dressed in a simple and clean uniform. Upon seeing our arrival, they all picked themselves up off the floor (where they had been sitting, playing some sort of game I assume), and arranged themselves in a line in front of Valdovas. “These,” he said, “are the servants here; Aleinor, Hesodei, Lellian, Ranstad and Fushaw. They are here to assist you.” Assist me? Wasn’t I supposed to be joining them? “Have you prepared her bed yet?” “Yes sir,” one of the girls answered, “I can take you there now, if you’d like sir.” “Lead on.” He replied, following her down the hallway, still keeping a tight hold on my arm. The room she brought us to was nearly at the end of the hallway, and all though it was smaller than any of the rooms downstairs; it still held far more grandeur than I had ever dreamed of being able to call my own. A large, impeccably clean and simple rug stretched to all corners of the room. Sitting on top of it was a bed, held off the ground by a beautifully polished wooden bedframe; and a small table, made of a similar wood. Brass candle brackets were bolted to the wall around the room, so as to provide light even when the sun had already set. “You will stay here unless I tell you otherwise. This is your bedroom.” Lord Valdovas said, slightly pushing me into the room. “The washroom is directly across the hall, you can go there as needed. Do you understand?” “Yes sir, thank you.” With that he left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving me in the room with the one servant girl. “I’m sorry; I didn’t catch your name.” “I’m Hesodei, Aleinor has longer hair than I do, and Lellian has darker eyes than either of us. The boys look exactly the same and we can never tell them apart. Why don’t we get you settled in, bet this has been a bit of a shock.” “Yes, I um, I,” “Have no idea what’s going on? That’s completely okay; I can’t imagine anyone who’d just been moved could get settled into something new so quickly. Now, did you bring anything with you?” “I, um, well, no. I don’t exactly have anything.” I had to look down at the floor, knowing the look I’d surely be getting; the look from superior to inferior, from those who had enough to those who barely had. I’d gotten the same look day after day dancing on the street. Instead, she just smiled, “It’s a good thing you’re here then. Valdovas will be able to take care of you, just like he takes care of us.” “What?” Takes care of them? How does a master take care of his underlings? “We all stay here. We work for our keep, but every little bit helps.” “Will I be working here, just like you?” “You know, I’m not really sure. He told us he’d be going out today, and to have a bed ready when he got back. Mind you, I didn’t expect him to bring back someone as pretty as you.” “What! I, uh-“ “Relax, that was a complement sweetheart. Why don’t we just get you cleaned up.” “Sounds great.” “Good, now where did that Merari get off to? Merari!” She called, whistling for the little water-cat. “There we go!” A little blue cat with purple fins along her face and tail came leaping up the hall, mewling loudly. “That’s a good little girl, can you help me with the tub? Thank you little one.” She led me across the hallway to the washroom. Compared to every other room, this had to be by far the most simple; but in a sense, it was closest to home (even though everything was still so foreign). The room was completely covered in tiles, floor to ceiling, with a pit sunken into the floor underneath a high window. There were no candle brackets here, no furniture, just the tiles and the sunken spot. The Merari ran into the room first, jumping right to the pit, and unleashed a stream of steaming water. Within a few minutes, the pit (which I’d only just realized was a bathtub) was filled with steaming water. “Wait a few minutes before stepping in all right?” Hesodei said, putting a towel down beside the tub, “it’s too hot right now.” “Thank you very much.” She smiled and left the room, pulling the little Marari into her arms, and closing the door behind her. A little tentatively, I started pulling off my dirty old rags, and piling them next to the tub. Was it still too hot? In truth, a bath was such a rarity out on the streets, let alone any source of hot water. Really, it was no wonder there were layers upon layers of dirt and street scum on my hands and feet. Maybe it had cooled down enough to slip in. Okay, it was still a little hot, but this was nice. Hot water; something about it felt comforting, like a warm blanket or Mumma’s hugs. Mumma, oh no, she was still back in the alley. Whether or not they were getting “compensated”, tonight would still be hard. I’d never spent a night away from her before, not for as long as I could remember. Even when I’d been sick, she’d been right there next to me all night. The boys too, they had to spend the night away from home before, but only one at a time after getting caught, but Mumma and I had always been there waiting for them. What would she do when they couldn’t come home anymore? Would the boys notice I was gone? Whispering more to myself, a couple words slipped out, “It’s gonna be okay, right Mumma? We’re going to make it through aren’t we?” At some point I must have drifted off. The sun had set outside the windows, and the water had really cooled off. This was the sort of bath I was used to; old, cold water. Unfortunately, this sort of bath also wasn’t exactly what I’d call pleasant. I found the towel that Hesodei had left for me, but someone had been in here, and had taken what was left of my clothes out with them. Oh well, a towel would be good enough to cross the hallway back to my room. Plus, being dry meant being warm again, and being warm was certainly something I could get used to. Besides, it was also soft, what other reason did I need to wrap the thing around me? It was a little tricky though; I couldn’t figure out how to make the thing stay on its own, so I had to awkwardly push the door open with my shoulder as my hands were completely occupied. Someone was waiting for me in the hallway. How had he known when I’d get out of the tub? Had he been waiting in the hall this whole time? “Sir?” I asked tentatively, slightly backing into the washroom again. “Now that you’re all cleaned up, why don’t you put your hands down and let me have a good look at you?”